NFL News: Jimmy Garoppolo Tipped For Wild Trade Involving Star Quarterback – Report

A veteran sports journalist fancies seeing Jimmy Garoppolo make his return to the New England Patriots.

Following the massive draft picks trade between the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers last month, Garoppolo’s future with the Niners is now deemed questionable.

Weighing in on the subject, famed ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith pictured a wild trade that would send Garoppolo to the Patriots, the team he has played for in his formative years in NFL. According to Smith, it would make sense for the 49ers to “return the favor” to the Pats and hand New England their quarterback back. In exchange, the Niners will get another big-name quarterback in Cam Newton.

“I’d venture to say [Patriots head coach] Bill Belichick gave the San Francisco 49ers a gift [when] they gave them Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick [in 2017],” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “How about returning the favor? Do something for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. How about that? And how about this one? Not only do you get Jimmy G back. But you give [the 49ers] Cam Newton.”

“I’d like Cam Newton in San Francisco,” he continued. “I’d like him with actual targets to throw the football to — George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Raheem Mostert being able to run the football.”

Smith went on to point out that though Newton isn’t the same player he was a few years ago, the former no. 1 overall pick could start anew with the 49ers.

“I’ve lamented [Newton’s] accuracy, or lack thereof, but nevertheless, I’m saying you put him with weapons, the athletic stud that he is,” Smith said. “If you still believe in Cam, there is no question on the offensive side of the ball that the San Francisco 49ers, with the play-calling of Kyle Shanahan, is a better option for Cam Newton than Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick in New England, being bereft of weapons the way that they are.”

“Let [Garoppolo] go back to New England, send Cam Newton to San Francisco and get equitable compensation in return,” the analyst continued. “Let Jimmy G go back to the Patriots. Let Cam Newton go to San Francisco. And we might be singing a different tune about both of them.”

Garoppolo has been the 49ers’ quarterback since 2017, but this offseason, the 29-year-old become a hot topic in NFL trade rumors after the team traded for the Dolphins’ No. 3 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick, a third-round pick in 2022, a first-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023, CBS Sports noted.

Amid speculations that Garoppolo is likely to depart San Francisco, 49ers general manager John Lynch recently bared that the quarterback is still part of their plans.

“We also didn’t want to say goodbye to Jimmy [Garoppolo],” Lynch said in a media session last week. "We’ve shown we can get to a Super Bowl with Jimmy. We can play at a high level. And we don’t think those two things are mutually exclusive, the opportunity to trade up and get a guy who can be a big part of our future and keep Jimmy, who we’re very high on.”