Bill Belichick says keeping Jimmy Garoppolo and Tom Brady was ‘not sustainable’
Following the Patriots’ official announcement that their trade with the 49ers had been completed, head coach Bill Belichick elaborated on reasoning behind the team’s unexpected decision to send backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco.
“We probably had, in my opinion, the best quarterback situation in the league the last, call it, 2.5 years,” he told reporters on a conference call on Tuesday. “It’s just not sustainable given the way that things are set up. It’s definitely not something we wanted to walk away from, and I felt we rode it out as long as we could.”
Belichick explained that the Patriots had “explored every option possible to try and sustain” their depth chart with Garoppolo and starting quarterback Tom Brady, but retaining both eventually was no longer viable.
“At this point, we felt like we had to make a decision,” he said. “It’s a very complex situation on multiple levels, and this is really the last window that we had. We did what we felt was best for the team. There were many things involved in this whole process, and again on a number of levels — way too many to get into at this time.”
Belichick wouldn’t expand on the private conversations that took place pertaining to the transaction, nor would he share what was discussed with the individual players. But he did mention that the move was one “that’s been looming for the last couple of years.” He also acknowledged that clarifying questions were certainly warranted, but emphasized that “it’s just too complicated a process and too unique to get into in-depth.”
In regards to his former player, Belichick had nothing but praise for Garoppolo.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jimmy,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for him to give us any more than he’s given us. The 49ers are getting a good player, they’re getting a good person, and they’re getting a great teammate. And they’re getting a good quarterback.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Patriots still have just one quarterback on their roster. Although Belichick didn’t elaborate on the team’s plans for the future, he did say he will “try to put our team in the most competitive position possible.”
