Patriots notes: New England is now paying the toll for picking Tom Brady over Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017 - CBS Sports

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It was right around this time three years ago when Bill Belichick, Kyle Shanahan, and John Lynch all got on the horn and began executing one of the more defining trades of the Patriots' two-decade-long dynasty. It was at that point when New England was faced with a monumental decision: Keep the train moving with a then-40-year-old Tom Brady or begin the next era with Jimmy Garoppolo, who was looking at unrestricted free agency that offseason. 

As we all know, Robert Kraft's club made the decision to keep the dynasty going with Brady under center, which then opened the avenue for the Patriots to trade Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round pick, which they later turned into a number of different assets. Make no mistake about it, this was an excruciating decision for the organization, especially with head coach Bil Belichick, who had seemingly done the impossible of setting up a potential seamless transition at the most important position in the sport. 

It's not hard to figure out the road map that Belichick was operating under when drafting Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Brady would be 40-years-old by the time Garoppolo's rookie deal came to pass and that would be plenty of time for a passing of the torch, right? Wrong. Brady laughed in the face of Father Time and was in the midst of an MVP season at the time when everyone would imagine they'd hand the keys over to Garoppolo. At that point, the Patriots brass decided to keep it going with No. 12 and send No. 10 and a more stable long-term future packing. 

With Garoppolo now coming back to Foxborough for the first time on Sunday since that infamous trade, it does seem like the perfect time to see how that polarizing decision went for New England. 

After Garoppolo was traded to the Bay Area, the Patriots went to two more Super Bowls (LII, LIII), won one (Super Bowl LIII), and Brady was able to win league MVP in 2017. Not only did New England get another ring with Brady, but it was the sixth Super Bowl title in franchise history, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for most all-time. While those are the highs, the low is that Brady's era in New England only lasted two more seasons after the Garoppolo deal, leaving the organization this offseason for the Buccaneers. 

Garoppolo, meanwhile, is tied for the third-highest winning percentage in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks since that trade, while also ranking fourth in yards per attempt and eighth in completion percentage,. He also helped San Franciso reach Super Bowl LIV a year ago, albeit falling to the Chiefs.  

Really, the question you need to ask yourself is this: Was that sixth title with Brady worth stability and contention in this next era?

Not matter which way you fall on that, the Patriots are currently paying the price for that decision right now. Even with Cam Newton showing flashes of his former self, it's been a bumpy road to this point in the year with him, further clouding the uncertainty at the position beyond 2020. Jarrett Stidham also hasn't taken the reins enough to show that he could potentially be a long-term answer under center either. With that in mind, there's a very real scenario that we could be looking at another new Patriots quarterback when they kick off in 2021.

That uncertainty has proven to be the price of choosing Brady over Garoppolo back in 2017 and that bill is finally coming due. Whether or not you look at that sixth Lombardi and say "Worth it!" is up to you.  

Before we get into the rest of the news and notes surrounding New England, here's how you can tune into this reunion with Garoppolo on Sunday: 

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Oct. 25 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET 
Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
TV: CBS | Stream: CBS All Access
Follow: CBS Sports App

What came of the Jimmy G trade 

As you watch Garoppolo sling it at Gillette Stadium for the first time since that 2017 trade, you may be asking yourself what the Patriots actually got with that second-round selection. Well, here's a breakdown of how that deal ultimately shook out for the Patriots, who turned that singular pick into a number of different assets both directly and indirectly: 

49ers receive: QB Jimmy Garoppolo 
Patriots receive: CB Duke Dawson (2018)*, LB Christian Sam (2018)*, CB Joejuan Williams (2019), RB Damien Harris (2019), OT Yodny Cajuste (2019), QB Jarrett Stidham (2019), TE Dalton Keene (2020), OL Justin Herron (2020) 

*no longer on the roster

Garoppolo return in 2021?

This is something to keep an eye on. While Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance a year ago and has looked stellar at times, there's also been a number of occasions where talk of whether or not he's the long-term answer for San Francisco going forward has sprouted up. That talk could reach an even higher volume this offseason when the Niners have an out in Garoppolo's contract where they can clear around $24 million off their cap. 

If the likes of Kirk Cousins or Matt Ryan -- two quarterbacks that have a history with Kyle Shanahan -- become available this offseason, it would be very interesting to see if San Francisco would make a change. If so, I'd expect the Patriots to at least explore the possibility of a Garoppolo reunion, especially if Cam Newton proves to not be the answer in the remaining weeks of the 2020 season.  

Gilmore's Pats future may be hanging in the balance

As we know from all our talk about Garoppolo above, Bill Belichick is not afraid to make major splashes at the trade deadline. With that in mind, it will be curious to see how the Patriots perform leading up to the Nov. 3 deadline. If they fall to the 49ers on Sunday and then to the Bills in Week 8 on Nov. 1 to move to 2-5 on the season, would the Patriots all of a sudden become sellers? 

If that scenario does come to fruition, one name worth monitoring is reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. He is signed through 2021 but will be looking for a new deal next offseason and I'm not so sure Bill Belichick, who reportedly considered trading him this offseason before reworking his current contract to give him a raise for this year, will give it to him. 

Corner is arguably the Patriots' deepest position and if Belichick sees an opportunity to sell high on a player that he doesn't plan on paying this spring anyway, he's shown in the past (Jamie Collins, Chandlers Jones, Richard Seymour, Lawyer Milloy) that he won't blink twice. 

Patriots O-line getting healthy

The Patriots got a lot healthier this week as center David Andrews, defensive tackle Beau Allen and linebacker Josh Uche all returned from injured reserve while defensive end Derek Rivers, defensive tackle Byron Cowart and guard Shaq Mason all came off the COVID list. 

While it's still not certain if they will be ready to go for this matchup against the 49ers, eventually getting both Andrews and Mason back in the fold is tremendous news for the offensive line. Joe Thuney can now go back to his normal left guard position as Andrews slots in at center, while Mason goes to right guard, Wynn moves back at left tackle, and Michael Onwenu sides in at right tackle.  

For a team that wants to run the ball the way New England does, this O-line combination should improve their efficiency a great deal. On top of that, this should give Cam Newton more time when he drops back to pass and allow Patriots receivers -- who have been struggling to separate -- more opportunities to get open. 

Dont'a Hightower, who opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, may not be with the Patriots on the field this year, but he's still helping the linebacker unit where he can. Rookie linebacker and fellow Alabama product Anfernee Jennings told reporters this week that Hightower has helped coach him up throughout the early portions of the season. 

"We talk all the time," Jennings said, via MassLive.com. "He kind of watches the game and kind of gives me some feedback on what I should have done or could do better and stuff like that. Just try to be another tool for me to continue to learn and grow and understand the game. Still trying to be a sponge and soak it all up and I'm always looking to get better."

The 2020 third-round pick, who got the first start of his career in Week 6, noted that he and Hightower watch film of old Patriots linebackers like Rob Ninkovich and Mike Vrabel. 

"We go back and we pick film up from probably before I was born," Jennings said. "Watch it and just whatever we can pick from their type of game and try to apply it to our game and just really understanding that a lot of great linebackers played here before me just trying to soak it all in and just continue the legacy of special linebackers."

Branch a notable snub from All-Dynasty Team

The Patriots released their All-Dynasty Team this week and one of the more noticeable omissions was wide receiver Deion Branch. He spent a total of seven seasons with the organization, was a part of two Super Bowl championships, and was even named Super Bowl XXXIX MVP after catching 10 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in the win over Carolina. Branch ranks 11th on the Patriots' all-time receiving yards and receptions list. What's arguably even more surprising is that Branch didn't even find himself in the honorable mentions section where the likes of Danny Amendola, Jerod Mayo, and Stephen Gostkowski landed. 

Of course, the receiver didn't seem too happy with this snub, responding on social media this week with "#WOWWWW." 

Here's a complete list of the Patriots All-Dynasty Team: 

Head coach: Bill Belichick
Defensive line: Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork
Outside linebacker: Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Rob Ninkovich
Inside linebacker: Tedy Bruschi, Dont'a Hightower, Roman Phifer
Cornerback: Ty Law, Asante Samuel, Stephon Gilmore
Safety: Rodney Harrison, Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty
Quarterback: Tom Brady
Running back: Kevin Faulk, Corey Dillon, James White
Fullback: James Develin
Wide receiver: Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Troy Brown
Tight end: Rob Gronkowski, Daniel Graham
Tackle: Matt Light, Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder
Guard: Logan Mankins, Joe Andruzzi, Joe Thuney
Center: Dan Koppen
Kicker: Adam Vinatieri
Punter: Ryan Allen
Kickoff returner: Bethel Johnson, Ellis Hobbs
Punt returner: Julian Edelman
Special teamer: Matthew Slater, Larry Izzo
Long Snapper: Lonie Paxton, Joe Cardona

While Branch won't unseat Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, or Troy Brown, it's fair to ask if the team could have made cuts elsewhere to get him in (Do we really need two long snappers on the list?). 

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Patriots notes: New England is now paying the toll for picking Tom Brady over Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017 - CBS Sports
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