Bill Belichick's refusal to extract maximum value for Jimmy Garoppolo should be universally accepted as fact. For the last nine months, seemingly every NFL Insider imaginable, including Adam Schefter, has reported the Patriots only reached out to the 49ers about the beautifully bronzed backup's services. This week, two fawning Jimmy G profiles –– one in Bleacher Report, and another in Sports Illustrated –– revealed that Belichick trusted Garoppolo would succeed under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.
On top of that, it's been widely reported that Belichick didn't even consider other proposals. Bleacher Report's Joon Lee includes the anecdote that Belichick supposedly turned down an offer from the Browns that featured "multiple high draft picks," corroborating a story from Cleveland.com's Terry Pluto.
The failure to obtain more than a second-round pick for the highest-paid player in NFL history –– for this minute, at least –– would be curious for any league executive. But for Belichick, the blunder is downright scandalous. It continues to look like he traded Garoppolo out of spite, or at least, didn't make the decision to deal him. The power structure is broken, and it could hasten Belichick's exit.
Before we go any further, I would be remiss if I didn't include this disclaimer: there's no evidence the apparent rift between Tom Brady and Belichick will have any impact on the upcoming season. It seemed like there was lots of acrimony in Foxboro last year, with the Alex Guerrero banishment and Rob Gronkowski thinking about retirement as early as training camp, per NBC Sports' Tom Curran. And yet, the Patriots were one third-down stop away from defeating the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Brady threw for 505 yards, setting a Super Bowl record.
After skipping all non-mandatory offseason workouts, Brady has indicated he'll show up to training camp early. Gronk, who teased retirement with Juicy J subtweets and an insane Supercross press conference, reportedly will be there on time, too –– despite not receiving a new contract.
But those signs of normalcy don't erase Belichick's seeming loss of control over the Patriots' future. ESPN's Seth Wickersham, in his bombshell piece, first reported that Robert Kraft pushed Belichick to trade Garoppolo. Later, Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard also reported Belichick didn't want to deal Jimmy G in 2017.
Unless Belichick completely whiffed on the most important decision he'll ever make, malevolence is the only sensible explanation for the underwhelming Garoppolo return.
Over the weekend, the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian reiterated Belichick believes Brady pushed Kraft to address Garoppolo. She also reported the detail about Brady "tugging" on Kraft to retain Josh McDaniels. It's apparent Brady and McDaniels are close. The Patriots' offensive coordinator is the only member of the organization who appears in "Tom vs. Time," and in SI's Jimmy G profile, Jenny Vrentas writes that Brady met exclusively with McDaniels, while the backups game-planned with QB coach Jerry Schuplinksi.
McDaniels' reasons for spurring the Colts remains mysterious. A full-court press from Brady seems like it would be convincing.
Since the Patriots rarely address stories publicly, the hearsay lingers on. It's a brilliant strategy, because rumors can be dismissed, especially when you win 12 games and reach the AFC championship. Belichick would legitimize the reported dissension if he commented on the gossip.
But the bizarre circumstances around the Garoppolo trade, which become clearer with each published Jimmy G tongue bath, indicate it wasn't Belichick's call. Brady's absences from most team offseason activities imply he's distanced himself from Belichick. Ditto for Gronk.
Plus, it seems like Belichick can't quite let Jimmy go. The man who dismissed Brady's gashed hand last postseason –– "we're not talking about open heart surgery here" –– sent Garoppolo congratulatory texts after every win, per Vrentas. No word on whether they included kissey-face emojis.
On Wednesday, Belichick will face the media for the first time this summer. He will inevitably grumble and snort at anybody who asks about the offseason of weirdness. Brady and Gronk will likely offer innocent-sounding chuckles when they're faced with questions as well.
Feigned ignorance doesn't erase nearly one years' worth of reporting, strangeness and slights. Belichick and Brady are leading competing factions, and Belichick seems to be losing out.
Related content:
Bill Belichick texted Jimmy G after every 49ers win last season
Jimmy Garoppolo reveals in feature story he believed he was better than Tom Brady
