49ers HC Kyle Shanahan denies Patriots tried to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo before 2021 NFL Draft

As Henry McKenna explained for Patriots Wire, author Seth Wickersham has claimed in his latest book, “It’s Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness,” that the Patriots reached out to the San Francisco 49ers about possibly trading for quarterback and former New England signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

As the story goes, New England offered a second-round draft pick for Garoppolo’s services, but the 49ers allegedly wanted a first-round selection. No such transaction materialized, and the Niners ultimately moved up in the draft order and acquired North Dakota State Bison product Trey Lance with the third pick. 

According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan denied the Garoppolo rumor while speaking with reporters Wednesday. 

“No. None. I’d also like to not keep answering questions about a book,” Shanahan said. “I promise, if that was the case, I would have talked to their head coach.” 

Both Garoppolo and Lance have dealt with injury setbacks during the season, while the Patriots drafted Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones and made Jones their full-time starter ahead of Week 1. 

For what it’s worth, Shanahan and 49ers CEO Jed York have said the plan was always for Garoppolo to begin the regular season atop the depth chart regardless of who the club drafted.