The NFL rarely gets a blockbuster move ahead of the mid-season trade deadline, but the San Francisco 49ers made a huge splash Monday, acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots for a second-round pick.
The trade for Garoppolo will have wide-reaching effects across the entire league. Here are the four main ways the NFL landscape will change:
Kirk Cousins loses his top destination
Cousins has had one foot out of Washington for some time now, as the Redskins refuse to commit to him long term.
A fork in the road is upcoming for both parties, however. The Redskins will either have to give Cousins the significant contract extension he craves before the offseason, or hit him with the franchise tag for the third straight year. The latter is highly unlikely considering the tag would cost $34.5 million.
The most logical landing spot for Cousins in free agency was with the 49ers due to his previous relationship with head coach Kyle Shahanan, but now that door is firmly shut.
Cousins still has options - the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos could be possible destinations - but the veteran pivot's future has become murkier than ever.
49ers become sellers at top of 1st round
At 0-8, the 49ers were a near-lock for a top-2 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. While trading for Garoppolo should ensure a few more wins than an offense run by CJ Beathard, San Francisco should still come away with a top-5 pick at worst.
Prior to acquiring Garoppolo, it was assumed the 49ers would use their first-round pick to grab a franchise quarterback for Shanahan. Now, not only have they become a question mark at the top of the first round, but they could also be a potential trading partner for teams who want to jump up for Josh Rosen, Josh Allen, or Sam Darnold.
If 49ers general manager John Lynch can get a king's ransom for his first-round pick and a franchise quarterback in Garoppolo, even the biggest critics of his hiring will have to admit defeat.
Patriots' succession plan for Brady unclear once more
The Patriots may have sent Garoppolo packing, but it appears they did so after exploring every other avenue.
"We probably had, in my opinion, the best quarterback situation in the league for the last - let's call it two-and-a-half years," head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday. "It's just not sustainable given the way that things are set up. It's definitely not something that we wanted to walk away from and I felt like we rode it out as long as we could."
New England clearly wanted Garoppolo to stick around to be the heir-apparent to Tom Brady. But with the five-time Super Bowl champion having another MVP year at age 40, and with Garoppolo unlikely to want to sit for at least another few seasons, the Patriots had to make a move.
While Brady looks far from done, Father Time catches up to all eventually, and usually out of nowhere. New England will try and maximize Brady's window and win more Super Bowls, but what comes after is now a question Bill Belichick will have to find another answer to.
Malcolm Butler might not hit free agency
Other than Garoppolo, no one on the Patriots' roster has been subject to trade rumors more than Butler.
The cornerback was almost sent to the New Orleans Saints during the offseason, but the move never came to pass. After the Patriots signed Stephon Gilmore, it appeared certain Butler would hit free agency in 2018.
But, one of the caveats to that was the presumption New England would be forced to use the franchise tag on Garoppolo. Now, the Patriots are free to use the tag on Butler.
Butler, like most on the Patriots' defense, has endured an up-and-down campaign. But, with Gilmore struggling, New England could tag him and rob the rest of the league of one of 2018's marquee free agents.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
