It's widely assumed that rising star Jimmy Garoppolo will be the next heir to the New England Patriots after Tom Brady retires. The incoming four-year QB has shown enough potential and talent for the Patriots to consider him as the rightful successor. In fact, the Patriots have been rejecting trade offers from several for the promising QB. But all of that hinges on how long Tom Brady will play for the Patriots.

Jimmy Garoppolo is destined to lead a team as a QB but with the great Tom Brady starting for the New England Patriots, it may take a while for that to happen. Unfortunately for Garoppolo, it seems that Brady might play for the Patriots for 6-7 years.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has said that Brady is willing to play that much long which is bad news for Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo would like to establish himself as a starter as quickly as possible and making the most money out of it. But with Brady playing well into his 40's it wouldn't be surprising for Garoppolo to look elsewhere for opportunities even if it meant leaving the Patriots.

If Tom Brady does indeed play for several more years, trading Garoppolo now could be their best option. It's hard to see Jimmy Garoppolo staying with the Patriots beyond 2017 if Brady is still playing. So before Garoppolo leaves for nothing, trading him now will give at least the Patriots something in return.

The Cleveland Browns have been linked to a Jimmy Garoppolo trade for quite a while now. It's likely that the Browns will be the QB's next team heading into the season. They have a lot of trade assets for the Patriots to consider shipping the QB.

However, it was reported that the Browns aren't willing to give up the first pick in the coming draft. But the Patriots would mind settling for the 12th overall pick that Cleveland has.

For now, it all depends on Tom Brady on whether he decides to play for more years. But if that were true, expect Jimmy Garoppolo to wear a Browns uniform soon.

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