New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his former backup and now San Francisco 49ers starter, Jimmy Garoppolo hooked up recently at the Kentucky Derby. The two were spotted talking and even snapped for a few photos, rebuffing rumors that they had a rift before Garoppolo was traded by Bill Belichick to the 49ers two years ago. The trade paid dividends for Garoppolo as he signed a five-year contract worth $137.5 million.
Currently, Garoppolo is still recovering from a torn ACL that he sustained in their Week 3 clash with the Chiefs last season.
It was reported that Brady gave him some advice on how to effectively come back from such an injury. Brady also suffered a torn ACL in 2008 during the Patriots’ first game of the season, ironically, also against the Chiefs.
When asked about the advice given to him by Brady, Garoppolo said he wanted to keep it confidential, per a report by Mercury News. However, Garoppolo admitted that he and Brady talked about his injury for a bit. “He's been through everything, seen everything, so whenever I can pick his brain that's a good thing,” said Garoppolo.
Garoppolo backed up Brady for almost four years
The 49ers are hoping that Garoppolo will take the same route as Brady’s when he came back in the 2009 season.
When he returned from the injury, Brady tossed for 4,398 yards and 28 touchdowns. In 2010, Brady tossed for 36 TD passes with just four interceptions. Garoppolo worked as Brady’s backup for almost four years before he was shipped by Belichick to the 49ers, upon the order of team owner Robert Kraft. The move was made after Brady approached Kraft and informed him of his plan to play until he’s 45 years old.
Garoppolo’s rehab is doing well and he’s expected to start in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers added more targets for Garoppolo, selecting wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd in the second and third round, respectively, in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Patriots land fourth in NFL’s Draft Rankings
Despite the assessment of many experts that the Patriots did well in the 2019 NFL Draft, the team finished just fifth in the 2019 NFL Draft class power rankings.
The Patriots entered the 2019 NFL Draft with 12 picks, but selected just 10 after using their other selections on trade deals. The Patriots got an “A” grade from Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr of NFL.com, but they trailed the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, and Tennessee Titans on the list.
The Patriots took N’Keal Harry with the No. 32 pick in the first round, defensive back Joejuan Williams of Vanderbilt with the No. 45 pick and defensive end Chase Winovich of Michigan (No. 77), running back Damien Harris (No. 87), and offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste of West Virginia (No. 101). The other Patriots' picks were offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt (No. 118), quarterback Jarrett Stidham (No. 133), defensive tackle Byron Cowart, (No. 159), punter Jake Bailey (No. 163) and Ken Webster of Mississippi in the seventh round (No. 252).
