Report: Jimmy Garoppolo Soon To Be Target Of Several Blockbuster Offers

BOSTON (CBS) -- Exactly how good Jimmy Garoppolo is as an NFL quarterback remains a bit of an unknown. But apparently, the skills he flashed early in the 2016 season provided enough reason for multiple teams to prepare Godfather offers to try to snatch him from the Patriots.

According to Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, "[Sources] believe several teams are preparing to make blockbuster offers for Garoppolo. ... They think a draft shakeup is coming and that it will involve Garoppolo."

Freeman added: "The increasingly popular view among some in the league is that Garoppolo can transform a franchise almost overnight and is worth a first-round pick."

Of course, rumors being what they are, Freeman curbed this talk by stating that, essentially, no executives can be trusted at this time of year.

Still, with Garoppolo, there certainly seems to be an increasing amount of smoke surrounding his name. And given the choice between Garoppolo, who's spent three years studying under Tom Brady and performed well in limited action in 2016, and the draft crop of Mitch Trubisky and Deshaun Watson and Pat Mahomes, it's not difficult to believe Garoppolo could be seen as the better choice. Garoppolo has completed 67 percent of his NFL passes for 690 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He threw for 502 yards and four touchdowns in what basically amounted to six quarters of work in 2016.

And from a Patriots perspective, it likely would take a significant offer to get them to part ways with Garoppolo. At the very least, he represents solid insurance for a 40-year-old quarterback. And after entering the league as a second-round pick in 2014, he's only added to his value during his three years in the NFL.