Bill Belichick is nothing if not persistent.
While the 49ers still plan to have a "pissed off" Jimmy Garoppolo as their starter next season, the New England Patriots reportedly still are trying to find a way to bring Garoppolo back to Foxboro.
"I've talked to a bunch of people in the league about this, and enough people I trust have told me that the Patriots' interest in Jimmy Garoppolo has been consistent," ESPN's Dianna Russini reported Wednesday on "Get Up!" "This has got to be more San Francisco willing to make the deal and, of course, New England having the right amount of picks and money to get Jimmy to bring him back. And that's really what it's going to come down to."
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On Monday, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that they aren't looking to trade Garoppolo but would if they were blown away by an offer. That line of thinking, of course, holds true for most players.
“We’re in a situation where when you bring in a rookie quarterback, to me, it's always better, especially on the team that you have, if you've got a veteran starter there already who you like and you're comfortable winning with,” Shanahan said.
“That's usually the direction you want to go and not throw someone else out into the fire until they're fully ready. That's the situation we're at.”
The 49ers acquired the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in a blockbuster deal with the Miami Dolphins, moving up to select their future franchise signal-caller.
San Francisco 49ers
But the 49ers have a roster that's Super Bowl-ready for 2021, and they believe Garoppolo gives them the best chance to accomplish their goal next season.
“It's going to be hard to find a quarterback that gives us a better chance to win than Jimmy right now, especially even a rookie in the draft,” Shanahan said. “So that's what you look into. Now, if someone wanted something for that and it can make your team better in a lot of other ways, you listen to that, but also depends on how good you feel about that rookie.”
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The Patriots did re-sign Cam Newton this offseason but hope to bring in someone to compete with Newton for the starting job. Many believed the Patriots would target Alabama's Mac Jones in the draft, but it now appears that Jones could be drafted in the top five, perhaps even at No. 3 by the 49ers.
Belichick is familiar with Garoppolo and knows he can win games with the 29-year-old under center.
The chances are good that Garoppolo will return to Foxboro at some point, but it probably won't be in 2021.