Let's Talk Garopplolo, Schefter "Claims" Price Has Been Set.

This is the dilemma I have in my feeble lil noggin. In my mind, the only way I want him is if he's good enough that the Pats want to keep him, in which case, he ain't available. If the Pats are willing to trade then I'm not sure he's worth it. There is no way in hell I give up a top 5 pick for the kid, but I would consider our high second and one of our 4th round picks. I happen to be one of those that like Garoppolo, but I don't like him that much. 

Well IMHO that would be woefully overpaying by the Browns but there's not a thing we or anyone else could do about that.  If I see a property that's worth $300k or a little more and someone offer a half mil for that same property well then I was never in the hunt to begin with and maybe in this instance I have to stick it out with my current vet 'til another option presents itself.

I posted that I'm not 100% certain the deal CAN be done but I am 100% certain under the present circumstances that we'd be utter fools to not at least TRY to make it happen.  We can only control our own fate and to me that means not worrying about what someone else may do that's beyond our means to control it.

Here's what I feel so see if this makes some sense.

Garoppolo and Brissett constitute their two QBs in waiting behind Brady who says he'll play 'til he's 50 if he can.  I'm not counting on that but I'm also not counting on him stepping down soon or Belicheat forcing him to do so.  Are you?

So in 2018 Garoppolo's rookie deal is up and he'll be looking for his first big dollar NFL deal.  Unless Brady magically becomes very altruistic and offers to work for a backups salary (and we know he won't) Garoppolo probably becomes unaffordable unless HE offers to work for a backups salary (also unlikely).  So I see a convergence of needs and goals just over the hill for the Pats.

Brissett is a rookie so that buys them more time to work that deal out and devlop him whereas with Garoppolo the candle burns out after 2017 when they will have to make a decision more under duress than they will be this spring.  Obviously if Garoppolo is their next Brady they'll try like seven devils to keep him but Belicheat is not gonna jeopardize his winning streak putting more cap into his QBs than he can reasonably afford at the expense of the rest.

He may be an asshole but he's a very clever and intelligent one.

I will disagree completely with how you see his value.  Even if NE believe he's worth far more and tries to get it the Bradford deal established at least some form of market value for trades of vet QBs and remember Bradford has far more game experience than Garoppolo.  NE can ask for more but in all likelihood they won't get far more just like we won't get anywhere near what we paid for Cutler if we trade him.  Draft capital is more valuable these days.  Far more valuable.

So putting all that aside then it comes down to whether or not you (or in this case Pace) see more talent and upside in Jimmy G than he does in any of the current draft prospects ranked as 1st round picks who may actually cost far more in term of point value.  If we were to draft Trubisky at #3 we'll spend 2200 points of draft capital vs the 820 a current and future 2nd are worth.  Even if I give full value to those two 2nds @ 560 points each that's 1120 points and it gets us a young vet QB for half the price of Trubisky AND we keep that pick to draft another impact player.

So again, I'm not saying it can be done but when you look at all of the option including the chances of Fox ever even playing a rookie QB in 2017 then if you take a QB at #3 overall he'll sit whereas another player may start and you get your younger vet who actually can start.  Anyone here who doesn't believe Garoppolo is a better prospect than Barkley or Hoyer needs to go watch his game tapes. That's all I'm saying.

I tend to look at it pretty much the same.  No matter how you slice it any QB we don't have entails both a cost and some risk.  So how do we decide?  IMHO it takes some set assumptions going in so let's try that.

1) Fox will not agree to start an inexperienced rookie when his neck will already be in the noose next year.  So the draftee whoever and wherever is at least for the moment a pick who will not help in 2018.

2) If we plan to part ways with Cutler what vets can we retain to start?  Hoyer?  Barkley?  Can anyone honestly, and I do mean honestly, now see this team winning much with either as the starter?  I don't believe 8-8 will save Fox's job and I don't see a better record than that with either if even that good. Neither has proven they can beat a winning team and we can't play all of our games against Cleveland, Jax, and SF.

3) So if we don't pursue Garoppolo or another young vet QB that pretty much brings us back to keeping Cutler to start as our best option and as I've said the marriage between him and Fox appears to irretrievably broken so Pace may need to play marriage counselor if he wants that to work.  It may come down to this.