Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Rumors: Patriots 'Sniffing Out' Market for 49ers QB

The New England Patriots are reportedly still interested in bringing back a former quarterback.

ESPN's Dianna Russini appeared on Get Up! (h/t Ryan Hannable of WEEI) and revealed the Patriots are "still sniffing out" a potential trade involving Jimmy Garoppolo.

"Just recently I was talking to somebody in the league who I really trust," Russini said. "He's got good information. He said, 'Do not take the Jimmy Garoppolo trade off the table.' That is something New England is still sniffing out. Bill doesn't like to put his cards out on the table so most think if we all know about that it probably won't happen, but there is definitely a tone in the league that it could still go down."

New England selected Garoppolo with a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

The 29-year-old began his career as a backup for Tom Brady, although he started two games during the 2016 season when the all-time great was suspended. He won both of those starts but suffered an injury and was not able to start all four games Brady was out.

The Patriots traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, and he went 5-0 in his starts the rest of that season.

However injuries have been an issue for the Eastern Illinois product during his time with the 49ers. He appeared in three games in 2018 and six games in 2020, although he went 13-3 as a starter in 2019 while leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl.

Any trade for Garoppolo would be notable for the Patriots after they re-signed Cam Newton this offseason. Still, Newton likely isn't the long-term answer in New England considering he re-signed for just a single season.

The Patriots were just 7-9 last season after winning the AFC East in each of the previous 11 years.