Albert Breer at the MMQB.com makes two points in his First and Ten section:
5. I’d expect the Browns to make a real run at Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo. I also know other teams have come away with the impression he’s not being moved.
6. One sign Garoppolo won’t be moved? There are coaches and front-office staff in Chicago who love Garoppolo. And the Bears moved on and signed Mike Glennon.
This is kind of true and kind of not. Both Chicago and San Fransisco had to look at the realities of the Garoppolo situation.
New England didn’t want to move him. I don’t doubt that’s true and that was a factor. Having a good back up quarterback in the NFL isn’t an option. It’s a must and for obvious reasons. So Bill Belichick ends up asking himself one relevant question: “How much is risking another Super Bowl run worth?” Answer: “Priceless”.
It’s entirely possible that the Browns won’t take “No” for an answer here where the Bears had to – the Browns could out bid them easily with an unprecedented collection of draft picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts to offer.
Could the Patriots be bowled over with an offer for Garoppolo that’s so rich that they would actually risk having to play Jacoby Brissett as their back up in the middle of a Super Bowl window? Well, it depends on how they feel about Brissett. That was always going to be the primary factor determining Garoppolo’s status. The question was never, “How good is Garoppolo?” It was “How good is Brissett?”
In any case, they are almost certainly going to have to be overwhelmed with an offer and the Bears were in no position to respond competitively.
It’s not New England’s stated refusal to trade Garroppolo that caused the Bears to give up the ghost. Garoppolo was a non-starter the minute they knew the Browns were seriously interested. That’s why they moved on to Glennon.