Bill Belichick explains why the Patriots gave up ‘the best quarterback situation in the league’

Jimmy Garoppolo was being groomed by the Patriots to be the answer to life after Tom Brady. Bill Belichick didn’t want to trade Garoppolo, but he also knew the Patriots couldn’t keep him.

“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,” Belichick said Tuesday, via Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe.

Garoppolo has been on the radar of quarterback-needy teams since he excelled in two starts last season while Brady was serving his Deflategate suspension. There have been trade rumors here and there, but nothing materialized until Monday night. That’s when the Patriots finally gave up hope of keeping Garoppolo.

“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,” Belichick said. “It’s just not sustainable given the way that things are set up.

Garoppolo is entering the last year of his rookie contract, and he’s set to hit free agency after the 2017 season. The Patriots were willing to pay Garoppolo like a starter, according to The MMQB’s Albert Breer. But Garoppolo didn’t just want the money. He wanted to play and that’s not happening as long as Brady is still playing like Brady.

The Patriots could have tried to extend Garoppolo, but he would have been unlikely to sign with free agency looming. Once the new league year begins, they would have had competition from teams desperate for a franchise quarterback with plenty of money to spend — like the 49ers.

So Belichick did what made the most sense for his team and for Garoppolo’s future. The Patriots get some value for a player they’ve put time and resources into developing. Garoppolo gets a shot to start with a team that needs him.

Belichick’s respect for Garoppolo was evident.

“I couldn’t ask him to give us any more than he’s given us,” Belichick said. “The 49ers are getting a good player, and they’re getting a good person, and they’re getting a great teammate, and they’re getting a good quarterback.”

Brady, 40, has said he’d like to play until he’s 45 years old. But life in the NFL is unpredictable, and now the Patriots are back to square one at the backup quarterback position.