The saga — or at least one chapter of it — came to a close in regards to the future of the quarterback position for the Patriots when they traded backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2018 second-round draft pick last Monday night.
That leaves Tom Brady as the starter for the forseeable future and newly acquired Brian Hoyer as the No. 2 option. The Pats ultimately decided that Garoppolo, seen as Brady's eventual successor in Foxboro, simply could not be kept around as he approached free agency this offseason. A franchise tag on Garoppolo could have cost upwards of $25 million, one of the factors that Bill Belichick said forced the Pats' hand in making the decision to trade him.