Jimmy Garoppolo clinches first-round bye for Patriots

Bill Belichick is a master negotiator. Teams that make trades with the New England Patriots should always be wary of being duped. The San Francisco 49ers were not duped when they acquired Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick, but it has now become very clear that there was an ulterior motive behind the deal.

Belichick, the all-knowing seer curmudgeon that he is, predicted that Garoppolo would do his team a great service. That service was carried out on Sunday, when the 49ers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, which allowed the Patriots to clinch a top-two seed in the AFC.

In other words, Garoppolo’s high level of play clinched a first-round bye for the Patriots in the playoffs. It’s true that the 49ers got a great deal, but they are also doing the dark bidding of Belichick and the Patriots, the true dark side of the NFL. Is it worth such a terrible price?

Well yes, of course it was. The 49ers beat the Jaguars, 44-33, and Garoppolo looked great. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He had one very bad errant throw, but recovered to lead a scoring drive a few plays later. His interception was bad, but it did come when he was hit as he threw.

Obviously, most here are feeling pretty good about Garoppolo. Now the 49ers just need to get him signed to a new contract. A large one.