The Kansas City Chiefs shocked the nation this past Thursday evening when they upset the defending champion New England Patriots. The Patriots were heavily favored going into the game, with the spread being -9 for New England at most online sports books like Bet365 Casino. The NFL’s opening night game is frequently won by the home team and the Patriots were 51-1 against AFC opponents at home since 2007. It seemed as if the Chiefs had no chance of winning, but Alex Smith and Andy Reid found a way to outfox Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at Foxboro.
Sometimes the unexpected occurs. For example, many people wagered on the Patriots using their betfair promo code during Super Bowl LI when the Patriots were down 28-3. Those people won a ridiculous amount of money by making a smart sports wager. If we didn’t learn that lesson when the Patriots were down 28-3 against the Falcons in February, we certainly learned that lesson last Thursday night. When it comes to the unexpected, one can’t help but wonder how it pertains to the New England Patriots and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. This rising star is now spending his fourth year on the Patriots bench behind Tom Brady. However, there are strong indications that Garoppolo is the heir apparent to Brady’s throne. For starters, Garoppolo played lights out last season in place of Tom Brady, when Brady was forced to server a four-game suspension for “Deflategate”. Garoppolo’s strong performance undoubtedly increased his trade value, so it was shocking when Bill Belichick failed to deal Garoppolo to a quarterback needy team before the draft. Rumor has it that the Patriots turned down a huge offer from the Cleveland Browns which included the #12 overall pick. For the Patriots to turn down that type of offer for a backup quarterback speaks volumes about what Bill Belichick must think about Garoppolo.
If the Patriots are truly that high on Garoppolo, they will only be able to let him ride the bench for so much longer. His contract is up after this season, and while they are able to place the franchise tag on him to retain his services, doing so would have the Patriots commiting an astronomical amount of their salary cap to the quarterback position, which is the complete opposite of how Bill Belichick typically builds out his roster. At some point, the Patriots will be forced to decide between their legendary quarterback Tom Brady and the youngster Jimmy Garoppolo. As a huge Brady supporter myself, I am uneasy about the situation as youth tends to win all arguments in these types of situation. Brady is 40 years old and not getting any younger. The Patriots’ future is likley in Garoppolo’s hands. The question is when New England turns the keys over to their young backup. If the unexpected happens and the Patriots continue to struggle this season, it’s possible that the torch could be passed from Brady to Garoppolo as soon as the 2017 season.
