"He was a great teammate" - When Tom Brady made feelings known about Jimmy Garoppolo following QB's trade to 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo - the 62nd overall pick by the New England Patriots in 2014 - shared a quarterback room with Tom Brady. He had few starting opportunities before being released by coach Bill Belichick after his contract expired in 2018.
When TB12 was asked about Jimmy Garoppolo’s release, he wished great things for his backup. During an appearance on his weekly Westwood One interview in Oct. 2017:
“He was a great teammate and a great friend. He always will be. I want nothing but the very best for him,”
“He's earned the trust of his teammates and the respect of his teammates and that's all you can ask for as a player.”
Garoppolo - who stayed with the Patriots for four seasons (his entire rookie contract) - only featured in 17 games and started in only two of them. He passed for 690 yards for five touchdowns with an accuracy of 67.0%. His best performance came in 2016 when Brady was suspended following the Deflategate incident.
Unfortunately, playing alongside someone like Brady had its drawbacks, and Garoppolo experienced them firsthand. When Garoppolo was drafted, he was the highest-picked quarterback by Belichick till Brady remained with the Patriots. But even at the age of 40, Brady was performing at an MVP level with no signs of ageing or early retirement.
New England couldn’t retain Garoppolo or risk losing him in free agency. Therefore, they traded him to the 49ers for a second-round pick in 2018.
Brady’s fitness and commitment were key in the trade. When Garoppolo was traded, TB12 represented both the present and the future of the Patriots.
Tom Brady believed Jimmy Garoppolo to be the starter at San Francisco
When Brady was informed about Jimmy Garoppolo’s new destination, San Francisco, he told Jim Gray that he believed Garoppolo would be a good starting option.
“I certainly hope so. He's put in all the effort. I've watched him for 3½ years and really enjoyed working with him. Hopefully he goes on and does a great job.”
Jimmy Garoppolo, the winner of the Walter Payton award in 2013, fulfilled Brady’s words as he led the Niners to a 5-0 record to close the 2017 season before leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2019 season.