Jimmy Garoppolo - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots Eye QB Signing As Last Resort

September 25th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Riding high after a dominant Week 3 win despite the involvement of a rookie third-string quarterback, the Patriots do not plan to deviate from how they’ve approached their most important position this season. Well, if they can help it.

The Patriots will sign a quarterback before Week 4 only as a last-resort measure, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. They view the roster spot as valuable and don’t want to send a player to waivers or free agency, depending on service time, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

New England’s already vanquished two 2015 playoff teams without Tom Brady and has used both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett to do so. Respective shoulder and thumb injuries leave Garoppolo and Brissett questionable to be ready for the Pats’ Week 4 Bills tilt — the team’s final game before Brady is eligible to return from his suspension.

Conflicting reports have emerged about the respective availability of Brady’s backups, with one indicating the team expects both to be able to suit up and another suggesting the team is hopeful at least one will.

Florio notes if word comes in Monday that gives a firm indication neither player will be ready to play by next weekend, the team could look to sign a quarterback. The Patriots brought in T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree last week but opted to sign neither. With it being unlikely the Pats would rule out either passer that early in the week, the team could again look to take its chances with Julian Edelman as a possible emergency quarterback.

Although, the former Kent State passer isn’t the only non-quarterback on New England’s roster with high-level signal-calling experience, as Florio points out. Second-year tight end A.J. Derby played quarterback at three schools — Iowa, Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, and Arkansas — before being moved to tight end later during his Razorbacks stay. Edelman, though, has been in this system for eight seasons, and Derby threw just 42 passes in Division I competition. Despite his standing as a running quarterback, Edelman threw 706 in three seasons with the Golden Flashes.

Patriots Unsure Who Will Start At QB In Week 4

September 25th, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots aren’t sure who will be under center in Week 4 against the Bills, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. While one recent report suggested that New England expects to have both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett available, Schefter says the situation is tad more uncertain. The Pats are “hopeful” that at last one of Garoppolo or Brissett will be ready to play, while there’s a chance that both could be good to go.

Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder on Sunday in the team’s 31-24 win over Miami. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Brissett was put in the game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans on Thursday night.

Before succumbing to injury, the 24-year-old Garoppolo had been excellent, completing 42-of-60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins. At least one report suggested that the Patriots were pressuring Garoppolo to quickly return to the field — despite the fact that he reportedly couldn’t lift his arm — and he’s presumably get the start against Buffalo if healthy. Tom Brady, of course, will return in Week 5 to start against the Browns.

There’s a small chance that neither Garoppolo or Brissett will be healthy enough to play next week, according to Schefter. In that case, the Patriots would sign a free agent quarterback, and T.J. Yates, who recently met with the club, would be an “ideal candidate.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett

September 23rd, 2016 at 7:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Multiple reports flooded in after news of Jacoby Brissett‘s thumb injury broke, but as the most recent reports have indicated, it doesn’t sound as though the Patriots quarterback will require surgery. In fact, the “sense” is that New England expects both Brissett and fellow signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo to be available for its Week 4 contest against the Bills, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder on Sunday in the team’s 31-24 win over Miami. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Brissett was put in the game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans on Thursday night.

Before succumbing to injury, the 24-year-old Garoppolo had been excellent, completing 42-of-60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins. At least one report suggested that the Patriots were pressuring Garoppolo to quickly return to the field — despite the fact that he reportedly couldn’t lift his arm — and he’s presumably get the start against Buffalo if healthy. Tom Brady, of course, will return in Week 5 to start against the Browns.

It’s still possible that the Patriots could look to sign a quarterback before their next game, and the club did audition free agents T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree this week. However, team president Jonathan Kraft recently explained that New England doesn’t want to add another QB — and thus, cut another player from elsewhere on the roster — unless it absolutely has to.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Redskins, Garoppolo, Romo, Revis

September 20th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the Redskins off to an 0-2 start, some of quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ teammates have reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with his early season output. That doesn’t surprise former Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson, who spent the first three years of his career with Washington before signing with the Giants over the winter. “When I was there, three out of four years, it was the same thing,” he said Tuesday (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). “Once they get down, they start pointing fingers. And that is true. That is what happens. And for the Redskins — I’ve only been on one team before I came here, and that was them — and all I saw was not the right way to handle it. I feel like they didn’t handle it the right way when I was there.”

Robinson is glad to have left the Redskins in favor of the Giants, saying, “I like it here better. I would say that for sure.”

As we wait for this Sunday’s tilt between Robinson’s ex-team and his current one, here’s more from the East divisions:

The Redskins’ offseason decision to place the franchise tag on Cousins in lieu of signing him to a lucrative long-term deal looks prudent now, opines John Keim of ESPN.com. But if Cousins is unable regain something resembling his 2015 form, it’ll leave the team looking for a quarterback again, Keim notes. Ideally, he’ll emerge as a legitimate franchise-caliber passer and prove himself worthy of a major commitment for the foreseeable future.
On one hand, it’s possible quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be the successor to Tom Brady in New England. On the other, Ryan Hannable of WEEI writes that Garoppolo might never play a meaningful snap as a Pat again once Brady returns from his four-game Deflategate suspension in Week 5. Brady is signed through the 2019 campaign, his age-42 season, and Garoppolo is only under contract through the end of next year. The best-case scenario for the Patriots would include retaining both, but that will look unrealistic as long as Brady continues as one of the league’s elite signal-callers.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a back exam and a brief pregame throwing session in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. One observer was surprised by Romo’s velocity and lack of restrictions. The 36-year-old is hoping to return sometime in October and it seems he is on track to do just that.
While Brian Costello of the New York Post expects cornerback Darrelle Revis to rebound from his early season issues, his $13MM salary for 2017 will still be an anvil, Costello opines. Cutting the 31-year-old Revis after the season would leave the Jets on the hook for $8MM in dead money, which means he’s likely to remain with the club, per Costello. In the Jets’ first two games this year, the five-time first-team All-Pro has given up 10 catches and 152 yards to Bengals receiver A.J. Green and allowed an 84-yard touchdown to a far less formidable wideout, the Bills’ Marquise Goodwin.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Latest On Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo

September 20th, 2016 at 6:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is struggling to lift his arm as a result of a right shoulder injury he suffered in Week 2, but the team is pressuring him to be ready for Thursday’s game against the Texans, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint Sunday, which caused him to depart in the second quarter of the Patriots’ 31-24 win over the Dolphins. New England has since reminded Garoppolo that suspended starter Tom Brady has played through a similar injury at times during his storied career.

Although Garoppolo participated in practice on a limited basis Tuesday, it’s unrealistic to expect him to play Thursday, notes Howe, but he could still back up rookie Jacoby Brissett. That seems to be what the Patriots are banking on, as they haven’t signed a free agent this week to serve as a reserve behind Brissett – who’s primed to make his first NFL start.

New England auditioned veterans T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree on Tuesday, but the team opted against signing either. If Garoppolo can’t go Thursday, that could leave wide receiver Julian Edelman as Brissett’s backup. Edelman was a quarterback in high school and college, including three years as a starter at Kent State.

Before succumbing to injury, Garoppolo’s career began in outstanding fashion. Filling in for Brady, who will miss two more games thanks to his role in the Deflategate scandal, the 24-year-old Garoppolo completed 42 of 60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins.

As is the case with Garoppolo, a 2014 second-round pick, Brissett joined the Pats as a relatively high draft selection. The club selected the former North Carolina State passer in the third round, 91st overall, during the spring. He hit on 6 of 9 passes for 92 yards in his debut against the Dolphins, and he’s now set to face the 2-0 Texans and all-world defensive lineman J.J. Watt.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Jimmy Garoppolo

September 19th, 2016 at 8:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots got some good news today with regards to Jimmy Garoppolo‘s injury. It looks like quarterback won’t start on Thursday night against the Texans, but there is hope he’ll back by Week 4, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ideally, the Pats would like to have Garoppolo in uniform against Houston, but they might not have to delve into the third-string realm for two straight weeks before Tom Brady‘s return. And, although it may be a longshot, the Patriots have not given up hope yet that Garoppolo can play on Thursday, a team source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder on Sunday in the team’s 31-24 win over Miami. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Jacoby Brissett was put in the game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way. Brissett will be asked to provide that same poise from wire-to-wire on Thursday night, but the Pats likely won’t have to depend on him for two games in a row.

Now, we’ll wait and see what the Pats do about their backup quarterback situation for their upcoming game. Brissett stands as the team’s only healthy QB on the active roster and there are no signal callers currently on the practice squad. The Pats may turn to someone they have a recent history with, like Ryan Lindley or Matt Flynn.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jimmy Garoppolo Likely To Miss Week 3

September 18th, 2016 at 7:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Tom Brady-less Patriots improved to 2-0 on Sunday with a 31-24 win over the AFC East rival Dolphins, but life may have gotten a bit tougher for a team that will be without its suspended franchise quarterback for two more games. Brady’s backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder and will likely miss the Patriots’ Week 3 matchup against the 2-0 Texans on Thursday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Gregg Rosenthal).

Garoppolo left the Pats’ win in the second quarter after taking a hit from Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, thereby paving the way for third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett to garner his first NFL experience. Brissett, a third-round pick from North Carolina State, impressed in completing 6 of 9 passes for 92 yards. The Pats will need similar efficiency from him against the Texans, who have held their first two opponents to 26 points. Houston sacked Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith four times on Sunday, and 1.5 came from superstar J.J. Watt.

While Brissett will likely make his first start Thursday, the Patriots hope to have Garoppolo back under center in Week 4 against an 0-2 Buffalo team that has struggled mightily out of the gate. That will be the last contest of Brady’s four-game ban over his role in the Deflategate scandal, which would set him up to return against the lowly Browns on Oct. 9.

As for Garoppolo, injury aside, the Patriots are undoubtedly thrilled with what the 24-year-old has shown in his first real taste of NFL action. Garoppolo helped lead the Pats to an upset win in Arizona last Sunday and ended up completing 42 of 60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in his first two starts. Whether with New England or someone else, the 2014 second-round pick from Eastern Illinois could end up as a full-time starter down the line.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

North Notes: Vikings, Pettigrew, Browns

September 17th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings intend to begin the Sam Bradford era on Sunday night, with the team set to displace Shaun Hill in the starting lineup and plug in the trade acquisition against the Packers, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com reports. A league source informed Goessling Bradford took each of the first-team snaps in practice this week.

Minnesota traded next year’s first-round pick and another selection that could rise to future second-rounder for the former No. 1 overall pick. The 28-year-old Bradford completed a career-best 65% of his passes for the Eagles in 2015, but when separated from Chip Kelly‘s offense, the ex-Heisman Trophy winner has never exceeded the 61% mark.

Hill guided the Vikings to a victory against the Titans but did not produce an offensive touchdown in Minnesota’s 25-16 road win. Bradford’s potential inability to make pre-snap adjustments after such a short time with the team played into Hill receiving the Week 1 nod, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

Here’s more from the NFC North as Week 2 Sunday nears.

Former Vikings scouting director Scott Studwell, who remains with the team in a different capacity after stepping down from that role two years ago, said the team was able to acquire middle linebacker Eric Kendricks in the second round last year due to the second-year player’s smaller stature. “Kendricks went in the second round because he’s 6-foot,” Studwell said, via Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “In a perfect world, you might want a ‘Mike’ a bit bigger with Eric, but with his instincts for the ball, we’re not complaining. He’s a playmaker.”
The Lions currently have Brandon Pettigrew on their PUP list but could opt to move on from the veteran tight end if they like what they see from current backup Cole Wick, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Pettigrew tore his left ACL last December and reworked his contract due to his PUP standing earlier this month. He’s under contract through 2017 thanks to the four-year, $16MM deal he signed in 2014.
A potential Browns–Jimmy Garoppolo union had big support from inside the franchise’s power structure in 2014 before Jimmy Haslam ordered the staff to select Johnny Manziel, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Volin, who notes the Browns studied the eventual second-round pick intensely, wonders if the new Browns’ brass would consider a Garoppolo trade after Tom Brady‘s suspension ends. The teams play in Week 5 in Cleveland, although the trade deadline doesn’t fall until November 1. A report earlier this week described third-round rookie Cody Kessler as being a ways away from being ready to contribute.
The Bengals’ cornerback corps is flush with high draft picks, and the team added another in 2016 third-rounder KeiVarae Russell off waivers from the Chiefs.

Breer’s Latest: Dak, Rams, Kap, Prospects

September 1st, 2016 at 6:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dak Prescott hype train will continue into the regular season after Tony Romo‘s latest injury will put the former Mississippi State talent in command of the Cowboys. But how closely the fourth-rounder’s electric preseason will correlate with what happens beginning next week have NFL personnel split.

“He isn’t as good as his preseason performances. Teams haven’t schemed for him yet,” a league scout assigned to Mississippi State told Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “When they do, you’ll see his accuracy get exposed. [Dallas] will need to focus on quick, short, underneath throws, that’ll mask some of the downfield accuracy issues.”

The scout notes the Cowboys have enough talent around Prescott to keep him from being exposed but expects defenses to throw exotic blitzes at the rookie to gauge his readiness.

“He’s more accurate than I thought he would be; strong arm and a good athlete, good poise for a young guy. They’re so good up front, and should be able to run the ball behind Zeke [Elliott] and [Alfred] Morris. Those backs are good, so they can take pressure off him,” a Dolphins coach told Breer, before adding the August numbers would matter “very little” because “everyone is vanilla right now.”

Here’s more from Breer, beginning with the Rams’ behind-the-scenes approach after they were dealt a blow similar to what the Vikings endured earlier this week.

Sam Bradford‘s preseason ACL tear in 2014 induced the Rams to inquire about trades for other quarterbacks. GM Les Snead did not confirm which passers the team pursued, but Breer reports the Rams made an effort to deal for Kirk Cousins and “seriously discussed” Jimmy Garoppolo with the Patriots. Snead discovered the price was too high on those passers before making a successful waiver claim for current starter Case Keenum.
The offseason intrigue surrounding the pairing of Colin Kaepernick‘s athleticism with Chip Kelly‘s system dissipated considerably this summer. Unable to work out with the team for most of the offseason due to rehab efforts, Kaepernick, as a pro scouting director noticed, was running the 49ers‘ offense much slower than either Blaine Gabbert or Jeff Driskel in the 49ers’ game against the Packers. “When Kap was in the game, [the offense] slowed down—significantly,” the anonymous director said, via Breer. “I mean, it slowed down by 10 seconds [per play]. And that indicates he’s not comfortable getting them to the line, operating the offense the way they want him to do it. And it indicates the time he missed is costing him.”
The next Notre Dame lineman to land in the first round could be left tackle Mike McGlinchey, who will take over for Ronnie Stanley. Moving from right to left tackle in advance of his redshirt-junior season, McGlinchey could follow in the footsteps of Stanley and Zack Martin. “He’s a beast!” said one area scout assigned to the Irish. “I haven’t watched film of him yet, but off the practice view alone, he’s a first- or second-round pick. He’s not as athletic as [Stanley], but he’s more physical.” McGlinchey will begin his second year as a starter for the Fighting Irish, doing so after helping Notre Dame runners average 5.63 yards per carry in 2015 — eighth-best in Division I-FBS last season.

East Notes: Jets, Wilkerson, Garoppolo, Giants

July 21st, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC East:

After inking a new multi-year deal with the Jets, defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson says that he’ll be ready for the Jets’ season opener against the Bengals on September 11th, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. “Rehab is going well,” he said. “I’m running four times a week and just taking it day by day. I’m focusing on my leg and rehabbing each and every day. When the coaches feel it is time for me to get out there on the field and I am ready to go, I will be out there.” On Friday, Wilkerson shocked everyone when he inked a five-year deal worth $86MM, good for a $17.2MM AAV. The deal also calls for $54MM to go to the defensive lineman over the next three years.
When Jimmy Garoppolo lines up under center for the Patriots in September, rival teams will be keeping an eye on him as a possible trade target, as Albert Breer of The MMQB writes. Not much is known about Tom Brady‘s fill-in just yet, but evaluators are optimistic about what they might see. “He’s looked sharp when he’s had the opportunity,” said one NFC personnel exec who got a long look at him. “I also really liked him during the draft, so some of that was ‘leftover’ evaluation. … Strong arm, quick arm, accurate, can move in the pocket, mobile, all the things you like to see in a young developmental QB.”
Will the Giants sign a veteran safety? Given that no safety currently on the roster has more than three years of NFL experience, it could make some sense for the Giants, NJ.com’s James Kratch writes. However, Kratch doesn’t feel that available veterans like Bacarri Rambo, Donte Whitner, or Antrel Rolle would necessarily bring much more to the table. Rolle is on record as saying that he would like to return to the Giants. Whitner, ranked as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers in 2015 by Pro Football Focus, would make sense for a number of teams. Safety James Ihedigbo is also on the open market and waiting for the right opportunity.