Everybody has a theory about why Bill Belichick abruptly traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a measly second-round pick. Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, who could have been blocking for Garoppolo had Belichick dealt the quarterback to Cleveland, espoused a theory of his own on Twitter Sunday.
It's apparent Belichick only communicated with the 49ers about Garoppolo's sudden midseason availability, which is a departure from normal operating procedure. ESPN the Magazine's Seth Wickersham, in his explosive feature story detailing an alleged rift between Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, says Belichick shipped Garoppolo to San Francisco after a mandate from Kraft to trade him. Sources tell Wickersham Belichick chose the 49ers, because he respects head coach Kyle Shanahan and thinks Garoppolo will succeed playing under him.
The Browns were interested in Garoppolo last offseason, reportedly offering at least one first-round pick. But the Patriots, for whatever reason, did not seek out Cleveland when they traded Garoppolo in October. Thomas says the instability of the Browns organization scared Belichick away, because if Garoppolo didn't enjoy his half-season in Cleveland, he could have signed with an AFC East team down the line.
"They never offered @JimmyG_10 to the @Browns this fall," Thomas tweeted. "They dealt him to @49ers without taking bids. They were concerned that trading him to a team without stability could lead him to signing with an AFC East team in 2018."
Thomas went on to say he thinks Belichick traded Garoppolo too suddenly.
"Now, remaining argument is; was Bill too hasty in the process that he didn't get fair value for Jimmy. I'd argue he was, due to trade deadline, middle of the season, etc," Thomas wrote.
According to Thomas, the Browns' awfulness adversely affected the Patriots, causing them to sell low on their next franchise quarterback. That takes suckiness to an entirely new level.
