Jimmy Garoppolo is 21-5 as a starter with the 49ers. (TLOD.com)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
MIAMI BEACH, FL
Some of the layers of the mysterious Bill Belichick trade of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in midseason of 2017 have been unpeeled during Super Bowl week.
But the part of the story that remains foggy is how the Browns were shut out from acquiring him.
“We were on him,” said a source with inside knowledge of the Browns’ trade efforts, which began in March of 2017 and continued right up to the league deadline on Oct. 30. “There’s no reason that shouldn’t have been done.”
The Browns were loaded with assets earned from two seasons of painful sacrifice.
They were determined to finally correct the void at quarterback that started, ironically, with choosing Johnny Manziel at 22nd overall in the 2012 draft while Garoppolo, of FCS non-power Eastern Illinois, slid to the Patriots at No. 62 in the second round.
Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco’s wunderkind coach, personally worked out Garoppolo as Browns offensive coordinator prior to the 2012 draft.
He and Garoppolo have delighted this week in retelling the story of that workout on the campus of Northwestern University, how Shanahan had to run routes and catch Garoppolo’s passes that day because he had no receivers from his Eastern Illinois team to assist in the workout.
“He had some solid hands. And to do it without gloves, it was impressive,” Garoppolo said on Wednesday at the 49ers’ hotel. “I remember it was him, I think Ray Farmer the GM, and the quarterback coach, Dowell Loggins. They put me through a gauntlet. I was pretty tired after. It was a fun day.”
When Manziel flamed out and the Browns changed regimes to Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta, they made painful decisions to stockpile assets – such as trading for maligned free agent quarterback bust Brock Osweiler ostensibly to add Houston’s second-round draft pick, trading down from No. 2 in 2016 and passing up Carson Wentz for another first-round pick from Philadelphia, and then trading down from No. 12 in 2017 and passing up Deshaun Watson for yet another first-round pick from Houston.
The planned payoff was to finally land a franchise quarterback. And when rumors of Belichick trading Garoppolo wouldn’t go away – despite the team’s staunch denials -- it appeared to be perfect timing for the Browns’ suffering to pay off.
Not to be
For 3 ½ years, Garoppolo sat behind Tom Brady, soaking up everything the GOAT quarterback did. Garoppolo started only two games in that time, winning both while Brady served a four-game suspension to open the 2016 season, before suffering a shoulder injury.
There were questions about Garoppolo’s durability, for sure, but his extended internship behind Brady certainly made him a better prospect in 2017 than in 2012. The stars seemed to be aligning for a trade of Garoppolo to Cleveland.
So why didn’t it happen?
“It’s complicated,” said the source.
Another source with equal knowledge of what was going on said, “I just can’t go into it.”
San Francisco and the Browns were among teams that inquired about Garoppolo in March and were told flatly that he would not be traded. 49ers GM John Lynch reportedly then asked, half-jokingly, about Brady.
At that point, the 49ers turned their attention to Washington’s Kirk Cousins, who planned to leave in free agency after the season. This would be a natural reunion with Shanahan, who introduced Garoppolo to the Shanahan offense with the Redskins.
As the Oct. 30 deadline approached, the Browns re-inquired. But Belichick wasn’t taking calls on the matter. Instead, Nick Caserio, Patriots GM, again informed the Browns that Garoppolo would not be traded.
Then on the morning of Oct. 30, Shanahan received a text before dawn from Belichick asking him to call. Belichick then broke the news that Garoppolo was available for San Francisco’s second-round pick in 2018, but the 49ers had to make their decision fast.
Shanahan said this week that it took a 10-minute conversation with GM John Lynch to agree to the deal. The trade terms weren’t a problem, but the future investment in a new contract for Garoppolo had to be analyzed. It eventually would be a five-year deal for $137.5 million.
It was plain to many that Belichick would have to trade Garoppolo because the Patriots wouldn’t give him a new contract to stay as Brady’s backup. Still, the trade rocked the NFL world because of the relatively cheap price.
And that only heightened the mystery of why the Browns were not given the opportunity to blow San Francisco’s second-round pick out of the water. The Browns had enough assets to pay first- and second-round picks, but Belichick chose to gift Garoppolo to Shanahan.
Why?
Taking care of Jimmy
“The speculation from some was that Belichick didn’t like Cleveland,” said the source. “Some felt Belichick didn’t like Hue [Jackson] or didn’t respect Hue. Some felt that Belichick and Kyle had a relationship. Some felt he only wanted to send him to another conference. Who knows?”
The Browns had made deals with Belichick before.
“There wasn’t any reason to not get that one done,” the source said.
In statements after the trade, the clearest perspective was that Belichick sought to “take care” of Garoppolo and move him to the best possible situation for his career development.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jimmy,” Belichick said at the time. “I couldn't ask for him to give us any more than he's given us. The 49ers are getting a good player, and they're getting a good person, and they're getting a great teammate and they're getting a good quarterback. Jimmy is getting a good coach. His career is moving forward. He's a talented individual, was a great person to coach. I met with him weekly and, again, have a tremendous amount of respect for him. As his career moves forward we have to look to our team, both this year and beyond, and that's a consideration we have to make.”
Garoppolo won all five of his starts upon joining the 49ers in 2017. In 2018, he suffered a torn ACL after three starts (1-2). This year, his first full season of 16 games, he guided the 49ers to 13-3 and the NFC No. 1 seed, and then went 2-0 in the playoffs to set up the Super Bowl clash with Kansas City’s MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
So, since Shanahan and Garoppolo were teamed, the 49ers are 21-5 when Garoppolo starts and 4-20 when he doesn’t.
“Everyone has a different story in this league,” Garoppolo said. “I’m happy with my story and how everything’s worked out. There’s no place I’d rather be.”
The Browns eventually tabbed their quarterback when they changed regimes and GM John Dorsey selected Baker Mayfield with the first pick in the 2018 draft.
Nearly three years later, Dorsey and his staff are gone, and Mayfield is re-starting with his fourth head coach and fourth offensive coordinator.