Predicting the Landing Spot for Top Potential 2018 NFL Free Agents
By Jon Dove
Jimmy Garoppolo
Current Team: New England Patriots
Franchise Tag Likelihood: Medium
Predicted New Team: Cleveland Browns
The way the New England Patriots hand the Jimmy Garoppolo situation will be one of the more interesting storylines of the offseason. They obviously like what they see from Garoppolo and have some sort of plan for his future.
This situation could be easily solved if Tom Brady retires at the end of the year. However, that doesn’t seem likely with Brady still playing at a high level. This means that Garoppolo is likely to either receive the franchise tag or hit the open market.
The Cleveland Browns were one of the teams rumored to be aggressively pursuing Garoppolo last offseason. They are a franchise that still doesn’t have a franchise quarterback in place. Cleveland also has the salary cap spaced needed to make a huge offer.
It’s also possible that New England slaps Garoppolo with the franchise tag and then looks to trade him. Again, Cleveland would be in perfect position to make something happen. They have a lot of future draft capital to include in a trade.
There is also a possibility that Garoppolo is willing to take a smaller deal to stick in New England. However, that would mean sitting behind Brady for a few more years.