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USATSI

The New England Patriots may or may not be targeting Jimmy Garoppolo in their hunt for 2021 quarterback competition. The Athletic recently reported that the team intends to either trade for their old backup or move up for a rookie in April's draft, but ESPN indicated this week Garoppolo is not, in fact, on their radar. And according to one former Patriots player, it might not be too disappointing to Garoppolo's former New England teammates if the 49ers quarterback stays in San Francisco.

Joining "The Greg Hill Show" on WEEI on Monday, retired tight end Jermaine Wiggins suggested Garoppolo's durability was a clear issue dating back to his time as Tom Brady's backup in New England.

"My sources here tell me, and I didn't really want to say this, but they used to look at Jimmy G a little sideways," Wiggins said. "Like, he was kind of (like) Mr. Glass. And I am not talking about the (Samuel L.) Jackson character ... They were like, 'Can't really depend on him. Can't stay on the field.' ... Between the lines, they looked at him like, 'Can we really count on this dude?'"

A second-round pick of the Patriots in 2014, Garoppolo missed two games while filling in for Brady in 2016 due to a sprained AC joint. Since being traded to the 49ers in 2017, he's missed 23 starts because of additional injuries -- a torn ACL in 2018 and a high-ankle sprain in 2020. While San Francisco has repeatedly committed to Garoppolo as their QB entering 2021, the former Super Bowl starter has been the subject of trade speculation for months. General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have hinted at a potential upgrade and just recently traded up to the No. 3 pick in April's draft, where they're expected to take one of this year's top QB prospects.

Before moving to San Francisco, Garoppolo appeared in 17 games for the Patriots, who re-signed Cam Newton this offseason but are expected to explore QB competition. He started just two of those games, going 2-0 while Brady served a suspension.