2017 Arizona Cardinals should pursue Jimmy Garoppolo
By Jim Koch
General manager Steve Keim could answer the Arizona Cardinals quarterback of the future question with an offseason trade
The Arizona Cardinals have put it off long enough. The time to come up with a replacement for quarterback Carson Palmer has arrived. One particular name has surfaced that could be a viable candidate.
The name of that player is current New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo has made two career starts and emerged victorious in both. One of the wins just so happened to be against the Cards this season, on opening night.
His performance against Arizona in the desert was a good one. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 264 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. Not a bad way to start an NFL career.
The young signal-caller was even better the following week against the Miami Dolphins. In that contest, he went 18 of 26 for 232 yards, with three touchdowns and no picks. He did suffer a shoulder injury during that game, and Tom Brady resumed his starting role a couple of weeks later.
Talk has already begun concerning Garoppolo’s possible availability this offseason. 2017 will be the final year of his rookie contract, and Brady has shown no signs of slowing down. Therefore, the thought is that if the Patriots receive the right offer, Garoppolo could be traded.
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He’s already been linked to the Cleveland Browns. But the Browns are a good bet to be the owners of the first overall pick in next spring’s NFL Draft. That would give them first crack at whoever they deem the best quarterback coming out of college.
Even assuming Palmer will return next season, acquiring Garoppolo would make alot of sense. 2017 will most likely be Palmer’s last in Arizona, so Garoppolo could hold the clipboard for a season while learning Arians’ complex offense. The club could then move on from the woeful Drew Stanton, freeing up some money in the process.
Garoppolo’s salary would not be an issue. He has an extremely affordable base salary of 820,077 in 2017, with a cap hit of 1,108,513. Of course, an extension will be coming his way in the near future, when Palmer would either retire or is no longer a Cardinal.
The next order of business is compensation, what would New England be looking for in return. There’s a good chance a first-round draft pick would be a part of the package. It could take multiple picks or even a combination of picks and players.
Would Keim be able to pull off such a bold move? Would New England really be willing to trade the talented quarterback? One thing’s for sure, if Garoppolo is made available then Arizona should at the least kick the tires.