Patriots Notes: Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, Jimmy Garoppolo

Here’s a collection of news of rumors pertaining to the Patriots following the ESPN report that surfaced Friday regarding the future of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and all that has transpired in the past year.

• Tom Curran has been told by sources more than once that owner Robert Kraft did not tell Bill Belichick that he couldn’t trade QB Tom Brady. Although, Curran adds that Kraft would have “discouraged” Belichick from doing so had he brought the subject up.
• According to Curran, there are people within the Patriots organization who believe Belichick got “bigfooted” by Kraft about this situation and are under the assumption that Belichick may be so miffed that he’ll leave.
• Curran’s sources believe the Patriots made a mistake by gambling that Brady will be able to produce for as long as he thinks he can while moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo.
• The ESPN report mentioned that the Patriots had made four-year extension offers to Garoppolo in the in the $17 million to $18 million range is inaccurate, according to Curran. New England never extended Garoppolo a contract offer but they may have discussed what a potential deal may have looked like.
• Curran fully expects Belichick and Brady to be in place with the Patriots for the start of the 2018 season.
• Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of the dynamics, reports that HC Bill Belichick was not given a mandate to trade Jimmy Garoppolo by owner Robert Kraft.
• Florio does, however, confirm that the Patriots attempted to keep Garoppolo on a “bridge” contract that would have paid him very well to be the team’s backup and then starter money once he took over for Brady.
• Albert Breer mentions that the Patriots elected to hold on to Jimmy Garoppolo in the hope they could keep him and Tom Brady beyond the 2017 season.
• Breer also confirms that New England made attempts to sign Garoppolo to an extension.
• According to Breer, the Browns were “miffed” that the Patriots traded Garoppolo to the 49ers without putting him on the trade block and allowing other teams to make an offer for him.
• Breer believes the strain on relationships inside the Patriots and the existing tension over what the post-Brady version of the team will look like could accelerate Bill Belichick’s departure.