Jimmy Garoppolo - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Wentz, Garoppolo, Jets

July 17th, 2016 at 10:06am CST by Rory Parks

It’s won’t come as much of a surprise, but Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will likely be spending at least the first part of his rookie season on the inactive list, according to head coach Doug Pederson (article via Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com). Said Peterson, “Typically, the third quarterback is down. It’s hard right now to look down the road, but if we had to play this week, Carson would be down. He’d be the third quarterback. He’d be deactivated. That’s probably the direction we’re heading, I would think is going that route.”

After re-signing Sam Bradford this offseason and acquiring Chase Daniel, the Eagles can afford to be patient with Wentz, whom the team selected with the No. 2 overall pick of this year’s draft after sending a ransom of draft picks to Cleveland to grab that second overall selection. Philadelphia fully expects Wentz to be a long-term fixture under center, but it knows that the North Dakota State product will need time to transition to the pro game.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the league’s east divisions:

In the wake of Tom Brady‘s decision to not file a petition for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court, Jim McBride of The Boston Globe lays out what to expect from Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s four-week audition to open the 2016 season. McBride opines that, if Garoppolo can lead his club to a 3-1, or even 2-2 mark, he will have solidified his place as an NFL starter. And while he will of course turn the reins back over to Brady at that point, New England could seek to lock him up long term or else try and deal him after the season for a draft pick or two. Garoppolo’s contract expires at the end of the 2017 season–Brady’s does not expire until the end of the 2019 campaign–and a successful stint as a starter in 2016 could make him a highly-coveted free agent at that time. The Patriots, of course, are fully aware of this prospective timeline, which was a significant factor in their decision to grab Jacoby Brissett in this year’s draft.
Brian Costello of The New York Post believes Jets GM Mike Maccagnan scored “big points” when he found a way to keep Muhammad Wilkerson in the fold on a long-term basis with an 11th-hour extension, but the longer the Ryan Fitzpatrick situation remains unresolved, the worse things could get for Maccagnan. If the team does not come to an agreement with Fitzpatrick, it is not difficult to envision default starter Geno Smith struggling out of the gate, at which point Maccagnan’s approval rating, which is pretty high right now, would plummet, as he, rather than Smith or head coach Todd Bowles, would be the scapegoat. Neither the GM nor Fitzpatrick has blinked during these negotiations, and as training camp inches closer, there are no new developments to report.
Yesterday, PFR’s Dallas Robinson looked at how the Wilkerson deal with the Jets came together, and what it means for the future of the club’s defensive line.

Tom Brady To Drop Deflategate Appeal

July 15th, 2016 at 8:32pm CST by Zachary Links

12:22pm: Brady is done fighting the suspension, but the NFLPA might not be ready to throw in the towel:

“After careful consideration and discussion with Tom Brady, the NFLPA will not be seeking a stay of the four game suspension with the 2nd Circuit. This decision was made in the interest of certainty and planning for Tom prior to the New England Patriots season. We will continue to review all of our options and we reserve our rights to petition for cert to the Supreme Court,” the union said in a statement.

11:57am: Tom Brady announced that he will no longer pursue an appeal of his suspension via the court system (Facebook link):

“I’m very grateful for the overwhelming support I’ve received from Mr. Kraft, the Kraft family, coach Belichick, my coaches and teammates, the NFLPA, my agents, my loving family and most of all, our fans. It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process. I’m going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall.”

Brady‘s chances at again avoiding the four-game suspension for his role in the Patriots’ Deflategate controversy dwindled again on Wednesday, with the Second United States Circuit Court of Appeals denying the quarterback’s request for a rehearing. After that happened, Brady was left with one final legal option: petitioning to have his case heard before the Supreme Court. Given that the SCOTUS handles some of the most important legal matters in the country, Brady’s chances of getting a new trial seemed slim. While Brady still could have filed for that hearing with the hopes of effectively deferring his four-game ban, he has elected to put the circus behind him.

Now that Brady has reluctantly accepted his four-game suspension, he won’t be eligible to return to regular-season action until Sunday, October 9th in Cleveland. The Patriots will be without their franchise quarterback for games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans, and Bills, leaving understudy Jimmy Garoppolo in the starting role for the first month.

Brady will be docked four games worth of pay, which equals out to just $235K. During the ban, he will be prohibited from having contact with the team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Jaguars, Titans, Lions, Garoppolo

March 1st, 2016 at 9:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Some assorted notes from around the league on this Tuesday evening…

The Jaguars have hired former Falcons executive DeJuan Polk as their new assistant director of pro personnel, the team announced today (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com). Polk has spent the majority of the last decade working as the pro personnel coordinator in Atlanta.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell goes in-depth to explain why it might make more sense for the Titans to trade down in the draft rather than using the No. 1 overall pick on offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky wonders if the Titans would gamble on Jalen Ramsey with the top pick. A defensive back has never been chosen with the first overall pick, but Titans general manager Jon Robinson didn’t necessarily rule out the idea. “I would say with the first overall pick, we’re looking to add an impact player,” he said. “There’s a handful of players that fit into that. A handful could be a couple or it could be 10 according to how big your hands are. But we want to come away with somebody that is going to impact our football team.”
The Lions expect 2015 draftee Quandre Diggs to be a regular contributor in nickel and dime defenses next season, but the team will still need to address the cornerback position in free agency or the draft, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Tom Brady‘s new contract extension has observers reassessing Jimmy Garoppolo‘s role with the Patriots. However, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com doesn’t think New England’s backup QB will become a potential trade chip until at least 2017, unless another team blows away the Pats with an offer.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

East Notes: Pats, Bills, JPP

October 18th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots are again among the league’s most legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and although their slow start to 2014 led some to believe that their dynasty was nearing its end, the fact that they brought home the Lombardi Trophy and have opened 2015 undefeated have silenced those talks. And, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, New England’s window of opportunity won’t be closing anytime soon.

Per La Canfora, there is no significant player on the Patriots’ roster whose contract expires at the end of this season, and the team projects to be at least $8MM under the 2016 salary cap. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will count just $22MM against the cap, and no one will earn more than $10MM in 2016. That means that the team can supplement its already-talented roster with marquee free agents–something it has not frequently done in the past–and extend their reign of dominance for another few years. La Canfora also notes that, since New England will be without its first-round pick as a result of the DeflateGate scandal, it could look to move Jimmy Garoppolo for a high pick.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

Washington and the Jets are squaring off this afternoon, and as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes, the Jets are looking across the field at two players who could be on their radar in 2016: Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III. The future for both players is up in the air, and New York, of couse, could be in the market for a quarterback. Jets head coach Todd Bowles was effusive in his praise for Cousins, but indicated that RGIII would not be a consideration for his club.
There were reports this morning that E.J. Manuel could rekindle the Bills‘ quarterback competition with a strong showing today, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW thinks differently (via Twitter). He notes that Buffalo coaches love Tyrod Taylor and that it would take more than a good performance for the team to even think about moving on from Taylor.
La Canfora tweets that the Bills are “very concerned” that wideout Percy Harvin could miss significant time with his latest injury. Harvin has not played a significant role in the team’s offense this year, and this could represent yet another major setback for the once-explosive playmaker.
Last Thursday, Sammy Watkins publicly bemoaned his lack of targets in the Bills‘ offense thus far in 2015, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks down in detail what targets mean to a wide receiver from a contractual standpoint.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports tweets that Jason Pierre-Paul will report to the Giants this Tuesday so that the team can check in on his progress. Pierre-Paul is hoping to play soon, but as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes, there is still doubt that JPP will be cleared.

Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Tebow, G. Smith

May 24th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s have a look at some links from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:

One of the silver linings of Tom Brady‘s suspension, according to Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald, is that the Patriots will get the chance to see if second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is truly Brady’s heir apparent.
Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that not only will Tim Tebow make the Eagles‘ 53-man roster, he will suit up and he will play.
Only Cincinnati has drafted more wide receivers than the Packers since 2005, which marked Ted Thompson‘s first year as Green Bay’s GM. Thompson has selected 16 wideouts during that time.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey did not undermine head coach Todd Bowles by proclaiming that Geno Smith would be the team’s starting quarterback, as Gailey was just reiterating what Bowles had said (in a less definitive manner) on prior occasions.
Cimini does note that the Jets are bucking a historic trend by having Smith open the season as their starting signal-caller. Football Outsiders complied a list of 10 quarterbacks over the past 25 years who performed as poorly as Smith has in their first two seasons, and although most of them were named the starter going into their third year in the league, most were also first-round draft choices. Smith, of course, was a second-rounder. Out of the 10 players that Football Outsiders listed, only two, Jake Plummer and Trent Dilfer, experienced any sort of success in the league.
Connor Hamlett, a tight end whom the Jaguars signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this month, indicated back in January that he was not going to pursue a professional football career. But Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, says, “I just took some time off because I was banged up. I love the game of football, and I wanted to play. The whole [story] kind of got blown out of proportion.” Jacksonville had a “draft-worthy” grade on Hamlett, who has a good chance to make the club. O’Halloran says the Jags could keep as many as five tight ends on the roster.
Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com says the Jaguars could release Toby Gerhart, but the ESPN scribe goes on to explain why he believes Gerhart will ultimately stay on the roster.
Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune says the Buccaneers, who traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last month in exchange for George Johnson–after signing Johnson to a three-year, $9MM offer sheet–fell in love with the defensive end while watching film of Lions games in preparation for last year’s matchup with Detroit. Had the Bucs not played the Lions in 2014, Johnson might not have found himself in Tampa Bay in 2015.

Pats Owner Robert Kraft On DeflateGate

May 18th, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has long been a strong ally of commissioner Roger Goodell. However, it sounds like recent events might have changed that.

“You’ll have to ask him,” Kraft told Peter King of The MMQB when asked about the status of their relationship.

In a lengthy interview, Kraft went on the record with King to discuss the scandal surrounding the Pats and the sanctions levied against them. The entire piece is worth a read, but here’s a look at a few of the highlights..

On his frustration level:

I just get really worked up. To receive the harshest penalty in league history is just not fair. The anger and frustration with this process, to me, it wasn’t fair. If we’re giving all the power to the NFL and the office of the commissioner, this is something that can happen to all 32 teams. We need to have fair and balanced investigating and reporting. But in this report, every inference went against us … inferences from ambiguous, circumstantial evidence all went against us. That’s the thing that really bothers me. If they want to penalize us because there’s an aroma around this? That’s what this feels like. If you don’t have the so-called smoking gun, it really is frustrating. And they don’t have it. This thing never should have risen to this level.

On whether he might violate NFL bylaws by taking the league to court over the penalties:

I’m not going to comment on that at this point in time. I’m going to leave it. I won’t say.

On the meaning of the gauge readings:

Footballs have never been measured at halftime of any other game in NFL history. They have no idea how much footballs go down in cold weather or expand in warm weather. There is just no evidence that tampering ever happened.

On the capability of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who (barring a successful appeal) will start the first four games of the season for New England:

My gut feeling is the same as yours. He is a very hard worker, a very fine young man, but until the bullets are flying and you’re out there, no one knows. Think about how many of these first-round picks, even, don’t make it. [Garoppolo was a second-round pick last year.] He works hard and he studies hard, though.

AFC East Notes: Patterson, Bills, Pats

August 25th, 2014 at 4:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s look at the latest from the AFC East:

Dimitri Patterson‘s decision to skip the Jets’ Friday night preseason game was fueled by his displeasure at his place on the cornerback depth chart, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. New York suspended Patterson indefinitely this afternoon.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today (Twitter link), former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly said he didn’t care which bidder ultimately purchases the franchise, as long as they intend to keep the team in Buffalo. Kelly reportedly turned down an opportunity to join Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto group in a bid for the Bills.
Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback for the Patriots in Thursday’s preseason finale, but according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter) New England still hasn’t decided whether he or Ryan Mallett will be the No. 2 quarterback when the regular season arrives.
With Mallett reportedly on the trade block, Tom Carpenter of ESPN Insider (subscription required) takes a look at some possible destinations for the Patriots backup QB.
With regards to dealing Mallett, however, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that the Patriots won’t trade him until they are certain Garoppolo is ready to flourish as Tom Brady‘s primary backup.
Rapoport has more on the Patriots, tweeting that Tommy Kelly and/or Will Smith, both of whom were released yesterday, could re-sign with New England after Week 1, at which point neither’s salary would be guaranteed. Rapoport passed along this thought before news of Kelly’s visit with the Cardinals broke.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Eagles, Patriots Notes: Garoppolo, DBs, Curry

August 16th, 2014 at 9:10am CST by Matt Feminis

The preseason penalty flag epidemic is affecting (Read: annoying) everyone who chooses to consume exhibition games for any extended period of time, and last night’s Eagles-Patriots game was borderline unbearable (which is saying something for a preseason game). Twenty-eight penalties were called, prompting Ben Volin of the Boston Globe to call it a “travesty.”

Here’s some more notes from the Eagles and Patriots:

In a matter of eight days, Patriots rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has staked his claim to the backup job, writes Jeff Howe in the Boston Herald. Howe also notes “Jordan Devey also started for the second straight week, adding right guard to his resume last night after opening at left guard against the Redskins. Devey can also play center, so his versatility has been a valued asset in camp.” Devey went undrafted out of Memphis last year before spending the season on the practice squad.
Patriots cornerbacks Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan are seeing time at safety, reports NESN’s Doug Kyed.
Experimenting and taking advantage of the secondary’s interchangeable parts has been made possible by the encouraging play of Malcolm Butler, who started opposite Darrelle Revis, notes Boston.com’s Erik Frenz. An undrafted free agent out of West Alabama, Butler has gone from bubble player to strong roster candidate.
Eagles cornerback Curtis Marsh had a rough night, according to NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks: “Marsh has been having a good camp, but in his moment to play against NFL competition, he showed he didn’t belong.”
Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham are two of the Eagles’ best pass rushers, but they don’t fit the defensive scheme, says CSN Philly’s Reuben Frank, who calls for Curry to be traded to a 4-3 team. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo feels similarly about Graham, as evidenced by a couple tweets.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Jets, Wilson

August 10th, 2014 at 6:11pm CST by David Kipke

The Patriots should be happy with rookie quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s performance in his preseason debut against the Redskins, writes ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss. Reiss believes the Eastern Illinois product could have already surpassed Ryan Mallett to become Tom Brady‘s backup. Let’s look at some other news from around the AFC East:

The Patriots remain uncertain regarding a return date for All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. Although his once-torn ACL was medically cleared for practice before the start of camp, the University of Arizona product has yet to participate in any full-contact work.
Jets cornerback Dee Milliner has suffered a high ankle sprain, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. As we reported earlier, Milliner, who was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft, was one of two Jets corners to be cut down by injury today. Rookie corner Dexter McDougle left practice to discover that he had torn the ACL in his left knee.
Elsewhere in the Jets‘ secondary , rookie safety Calvin Pryor is planning on making his NFL debut on Saturday against the Bengals, after being held out of the first preseason game due to a concussion.
As our own Rory Parks surmised earlier today, Jimmy Wilson will likely be the Dolphins‘ starting safety heading into September following incumbent starter Reshad Jones‘ four-game suspension. An AP report stated that Wilson took most of the snaps with the first team during today’s practice.

Rookie Quarterback Roundup: Bortles, Bridgewater, Carr, Manziel

August 9th, 2014 at 8:02am CST by Matt Feminis

Jaguars No. 3 overall choice Blake Bortles had an encouraging pro debut against Tampa Bay last night, completing 7-of-11 pass attempts for 117 yards, “which included three drops and just one questionable decision, a check-down effort on 3rd-and-19 that was tipped and nearly picked off,” according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Paul Tenorio. Head coach Gus Bradley was quoted after the game, saying, “I thought [Bortles] did a nice job, showed some good poise. We felt like we could protect him. Just the poise factor, we wanted to see that in him, and he did a nice job.”

How did the other rookie QBs fare?

Vikings first-rounder Teddy Bridgewater’s first play was encouraging, as he bootlegged right and threw a 21-yard strike on the move. The gain was negated by penalty, but Bridgewater performed well enough against Oakland to generate excitement despite an uneven stat line (6-of-13, 49 yards, two sacks, fumble). Overall, Bridgewater generated excitement, but clearly has aspects of his game to work on before he challenges for the starting job. “He looked unsteady at times when challenged by unfamiliar defensive alignments,” according to Brian Murray of TwinCities.com.
Meanwhile, Derek Carr, chosen by the Raiders four picks after Bridgewater, went 10-of-16 for 76 yards an interception (which should have been caught by the intended receiver). Carr was victimized by a few drops and bailed out on a few throws behind his receiver, but overall received passing grades in his debut. In terms of improvement areas, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez notes the rookie needs to work on his touch.
As Dallas Robinson mentioned last night, Patriots second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo looked better in his first NFL game action than he had looked in practice, outshining veteran backup Ryan Mallett. The rookie from Eastern Illinois went 9-of-13 for 157 yards and a touchdown. Garoppolo “showed a poise and pocket presence that was impressive,” according to the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian. “The players in the huddle responded to him. And, unlike Mallett, who struggled at times dealing with a shaky offensive line, Garoppolo made plays when the going got tough during Thursday night’s 23-6 loss to the Redskins in the preseason opener.”
As for Browns 22nd overall pick Johnny Manziel, his debut in Detroit tonight ranks as one of the most anticipated preseason games in recent memory. “The Johnny Football Circus comes to Detroit” as Free Press columnist Drew Sharp puts it. The game is sold out and the Lions issued credentials for all 200 seats of the press box, reports Sharp’s colleague Dave Birkett.