Jimmy Garoppolo's Instagram farewell to Patriots appears to be a hoax

As it stands, Garoppolo remains Tom Brady's backup in New England

Early Friday morning, a post was published to Jimmy Garoppolo’s verified Instagram feed that showed the Patriots backup quarterback holding the Lombardi Trophy after last month’s improbable Super Bowl win, followed by these 11 words: “So grateful for my time in New England. Peace out Boston.”

The implication: This offseason’s most sought-after quarterback had finally been pried away from New England and, presumably, was headed to Cleveland, a team with clear needs at the position and an obvious interest in Garoppolo.

What does it mean? pic.twitter.com/lFD4MIQEGO

— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) March 10, 2017

So what does it mean?

Garoppolo’s account was hacked and it’s a hoax, according to his agent.

Jimmy Garoppolo's agent, Don Yee: "Jimmy's social media account was hacked."

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 10, 2017

So as it stands, Garoppolo remains in New England, second on the depth chart behind Tom Brady. And should the Browns decides they really want Garoppolo, the reported asking price is the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- and possibly Cleveland’s 2018 first-rounder too.