Patriots Open To Trading Jimmy Garoppolo
Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2017, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) reports that New England is open to trading the 25-year-old signal-caller this offseason.
This conflicts with a report back in December, wherein one source close to the Patriots indicated that he would be “stunned” if the Pats were to deal Garoppolo. There will certainly be interest in the Eastern Illinois product, who may well be the best quarterback available this offseason, but New England also values having a succession plan in place for Tom Brady, who has shown no signs of slowing down but who will be 40 years old when the 2017 season opens.
We also heard last month that, if the Patriots did trade Garoppolo, they would ask for at least a first- and fourth-round pick in return (which is what the Vikings gave up to acquire Sam Bradford last year). As Rapoport observes, the asking price for Garoppolo is one obstacle to a potential trade, as is his inexperience. He was expected to play the first four games of the 2016 season as a result of Brady’s suspension, but he played in only two because of a shoulder injury. Those two games did go exceedingly well for Garoppolo, who completed 42 of 59 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots racked up wins over Arizona and Miami, but that small sample size may not be enough for rival teams to part with a first-round selection. Indeed, Rapoport suggests that this year’s Brock Osweiler fiasco may make GMs skittish about investing significant assets into an unproven signal-caller.
Plus, succession plans aside, the Patriots may not be comfortable with Jacoby Brissett serving as their primary backup next season, though they are high on the rookie QB.
Rapoport suggests that this matter may not be resolved quickly. Instead, he expects head coach Bill Belichick to “play poker” with the rest of the league, banking on someone paying up if they are left without a quarterback following free agency or the draft.
Latest On Josh McDaniels’ 49ers Withdrawal
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels lost interest in the 49ers head coaching job after New England executive Nick Caserio declined to interview for the San Francisco general manager vacancy, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Prior to Caserio’s decision, he and McDaniels were considered the “runaway favorites” to join the 49ers as a package deal, adds Maiocco.
[RELATED: Kyle Shanahan Likely To Become 49ers Head Coach]
McDaniels, 40, was linked to two vacancies in addition to the 49ers this offseason, as he also took interviews with the Rams and Jaguars. However, despite reports that McDaniels was one of three finalists for the job (and preferred San Francisco to other landing spots), the Patriots OC announced last week that he had withdrawn his name from consideration. Family concerns were also thought to play into McDaniels’ decision, as he reportedly worried about moving his wife and children across the country.
Caserio, meanwhile, decided to not even entertain the notion of joining the 49ers, personally turning down an interview request from San Francisco ownership. The idea that he and McDaniels were viewed as a tandem makes sense, especially given that the pair enjoys a long working relationship that dates back to their playing days at John Carroll University. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ exhaustive general manager search is still ongoing, though the club appears to be zeroing in on final candidates.
Chip Kelly To Meet With Patriots?
Following the Jaguars’ decision not to hire Chip Kelly as their offensive coordinator, the recently fired coach plans to meet with the Patriots, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports. Details of this meeting are scarce, but Mortensen points to Kelly having an advocate for a place in the NFL in Bill Belichick. The perennially successful Patriots coach and Kelly have exchanged football concepts since Kelly’s days at Oregon, per Mortensen.
Tom Coughlin was behind the push for Kelly to receive an extensive look for the Jags’ OC job, and the former Eagles and 49ers coach believed he would be offered the position during his interview earlier this week. Although Coughlin urged Doug Marrone to explore adding Kelly to the Jacksonville staff as OC or in another offensive capacity, Marrone didn’t end up seeing a fit. The Jags gave the job to interim OC Nathaniel Hackett, but Kelly could have a chance to interview for a consultant-type role with the Patriots.
New England obviously has an offensive coordinator after Josh McDaniels announced he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the 49ers’ HC job. But the Patriots have a recent history in bringing coaches as unspecified assistants.
After an unmemorable stint as the Rams’ OC, McDaniels returned to New England during the 2011 playoffs despite Bill O’Brien‘s then-presence as the team’s OC. However, O’Brien had announced he was taking the Penn State job in the days prior, so a more logical role existed for McDaniels than one would for Kelly. Brian Daboll also rejoined his former team during the 2012 playoffs after being fired by the Chiefs, adding to the unique history here.
The Jaguars’ job and this prospective summit represent the only known NFL offseason interest for Kelly, whom the 49ers fired after a 2-14 season.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/19/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
New England Patriots
- TE Rob Housler
New York Giants
- K Aldrick Rosas
San Diego Chargers
- WR Da’Ron Brown
- WR Jamaal Jones
San Francisco 49ers
- K Nick Rose
- WR Rashad Ross
Seattle Seahawks
- TE Chris Briggs
- DT Rodney Coe
- WR Jamel Johnson
- DB Demetrius McCray
- WR Rodney Smith
Latest On Josh McDaniels' Future
Earlier this week, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled himself out of the race to become San Francisco’s head coach. It turns out he might be content to remain an assistant in New England until head coach Bill Belichick retires, at which point he would potentially take over, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). There are no indications the 64-year-old Belichick is pondering retirement, however, and Cole adds that McDaniels could leave the Pats after next season if either Tennessee or Detroit fires its head coach. McDaniels’ goal is to work with a general manager with “strong personnel skills,” per Cole, and he’s familiar with both Titans GM Jon Robinson and the Lions’ Bob Quinn. Those two were longtime members of New England’s front office before departing for their current jobs last offseason.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association has announced all 32 teams’ salary cap carryover amounts for the 2017 season (Twitter link). Next season’s cap figure isn’t yet known, but it’s likely to be in the $165MM range. When that becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official spending room for 2017.
Here are this year’s carryover totals:
- Cleveland Browns: $50,123,269
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $39,314,310
- San Francisco 49ers: $38,708,916
- Tennessee Titans: $24,046,522
- Washington Redskins: $15,055,131
- Carolina Panthers: $13,208,020
- Miami Dolphins: $8,363,708
- Chicago Bears: $8,103,197
- Oakland Raiders: $8,000,000
- Green Bay Packers: $7,984,687
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,933,869
- Denver Broncos: $7,243,248
- Indianapolis Colts: $6,614,106
- Cincinnati Bengals: $6,578,866
- New Orleans Saints: $5,754,000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $5,330,779
- New England Patriots: $5,292,335
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5,002,168
- Houston Texans: $4,935,924
- Detroit Lions: $4,725,644
- Arizona Cardinals: $4,405,068
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,269,367
- Buffalo Bills: $2,837,222
- Baltimore Ravens: $2,553,126
- Dallas Cowboys: $2,401,553
- Seattle Seahawks: $2,065,865
- New York Giants: $1,800,000
- Atlanta Falcons: $926,541
- Minnesota Vikings: $400,184
- New York Jets: $371,487
- Los Angeles Rams: $304,311
- Los Angeles Chargers: $113,693
Latest On 49ers’ Head Coaching Vacancy
The 49ers are the final NFL club still searching for a new head coach, and they’ve likely narrowed their hunt down to three candidates: Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Seahawks OL/assistant head coach Tom Cable, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: 2017 Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Cable will interview for the position today, while both Shanahan and McDaniels were already granted permission to meet with 49ers management given that their respective clubs had earned first-round playoff byes. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the key factor in San Francisco’s favor is time — because all the other head coaching jobs have been filled, the Niners have no incentive to rush to find their next coach.
Now that the Seahawks have been eliminated, Cable is free to interview at any time going forward, while Shanahan and McDaniels would each be allowed to interview during the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Of course, if either Atlanta or New England is eliminated next week, Shanahan and McDaniels could interview freely on their own schedule.
The 49ers, of course, are also the only NFL team looking for a new general manager after parting ways with Trent Baalke. San Francisco has interviewed a number of candidates, including ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, for the position. Riddick would likely come to the Bay Area as package deal with McDaniels, who was said to view the 49ers as his preferred destination.
However, McDaniels has expressed some reticence about leaving New England for the 49ers, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While McDaniels can likely have the San Francisco job if he wants it, and has reportedly already been identifying prospective staff members around the NFL, the Patriots OC is worried about moving his family across the country for what could turn out to be a short stay (given the 49ers’ recent track record of firing coaches).
Malcolm Mitchell Could Play Next Week
The Patriots were able to survive last night’s playoff matchup with the underdog Texans, but New England’s offense was uncharacteristically sluggish and the 34-16 final score did not tell the full story. Luckily for the Pats, however, rookie wideout Malcolm Mitchell could be returning for the AFC Championship Game next week. Per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), there is “strong optimism” that Mitchell could be back for the game that could catapult New England to yet another Super Bowl appearance.
[RELATED: Josh McDaniels Prefers 49ers’ HC Job]
Mitchell, who was selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft, put together a nice rookie season, catching 32 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He demonstrated an early aptitude in grasping New England’s unique offensive scheme, and he was able to carry that success into the regular season.
However, Mitchell suffered a knee injury in the team’s Week 16 contest against the Jets and was inactive for the Week 17 tilt against the Dolphins. After being limited in practice in the week leading up to last night’s divisional round playoff game, Mitchell was officially deactivated prior to kickoff. Newly-acquired Michael Floyd saw a pass bounce off his hands for an interception last night–although the throw was not an especially good one–so Mitchell, who has established a strong rapport with Tom Brady, could take back some of the slot receiver snaps that Floyd has enjoyed in Mitchell’s absence.
Nick Caserio Declines 49ers GM Interview
The Patriots look set to retain player personnel director Nick Caserio despite earlier reports of 49ers interest. The longtime New England staffer turned down an interview request from the 49ers, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
San Francisco representatives interviewed Patriots OC Josh McDaniels earlier today, and a report emerged previously the 40-year-old play-caller viewed the 49ers’ job as his top option compared to the Rams’ or Jaguars’ positions. But Caserio declining this opportunity could throw some cold water on that. The 40-year-old McDaniels and 41-year-old Caserio are close, going back to their days playing football at John Carroll University.
Florio, though, notes Caserio turning down an interview could lead to the 49ers offering McDaniels more power. The reporter adds that Caserio, who interviewed with the Dolphins in 2014, hasn’t shown serious interest in leaving New England despite not having final say over the Patriots’ 53-man roster — a responsibility Bill Belichick has long since possessed.
The 49ers remain connected to several candidates for their GM vacancy, but the Caserio road appears to have hit a dead end.
ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, Colts VP of football operations Jimmy Raye III, Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane, Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf and Vikings assistant GM George Paton represent the other candiates for the 49ers’ GM position. Raye will interview with the team on Sunday.
Nick Caserio/49ers Summit Not On Tap?
The 49ers‘ summit with Josh McDaniels occurred today, but the team did not meet with Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, whom it was curious about pairing with the 40-year-old coach. A Caserio/49ers summit — one the team requested — did not appear on the San Francisco brass’ docket, either because the Patriots denied an interview request or Caserio turned down the offer, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee notes.
A Patriots staffer since 2001, Caserio was a college teammate of McDaniels’ at John Carroll University. The longtime Patriots employee is signed through 2020 and interviewed for the Dolphins’ GM job in 2014. He makes approximately $2MM per year, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports, adding that a 49ers job could interest the 41-year-old personnel man.
Howe notes the 49ers are hoping to bring Caserio aboard as their GM, writing interview requests will continue to come his way due to the Patriots’ success and his current job title permitting those requests. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, Colts VP of football operations Jimmy Raye III, Panthers assistant GM Brandon Beane, Packers director of football operations Elliot Wolf and Vikings assistant GM George Paton represent the other candiates for the 49ers’ GM position. Raye will interview with the team on Sunday.