As of early Friday morning -- hacked Instagram posts notwithstanding -- Jimmy Garoppolo remains an employee of the New England Patriots, and only the most exorbitant of trade proposals will pry him from Bill Belichick’s hands.

The Browns are -- and have been -- Garoppolo’s biggest suitor, and for good reason: Cleveland doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to drafting quarterbacks in the first round -- Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden and Brady Quinn are the three most recent examples -- and armed with two first-rounders (the first overall pick and No. 12), the team could instead trade some of those picks for their next franchise QB.

Except that the Patriots reportedly want the Browns’ No. 1 in the 2017 NFL Draft, and maybe even their 2018 first-round pick too. If that seems extreme, it is. Garoppolo has thrown a grand total of 94 passes since coming into the league in 2014. And you stare at the tape from his preseason play -- or the two starts he had to begin the 2016 regular season -- all you want, but there’s scant evidence that he’s worth what the Patriots are reportedly asking.

So what’s Belichick up to?

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s simple. “You could ask [Belichick], and I am sure he will speak for himself, but I have spoken to enough people who have given me enough answers like yesterday, someone else texted me and said, ‘Does Cleveland know we’re not trading Jimmy Garoppolo?’” Schefter told WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan on Friday morning. “We’re going back to what we said before. I am basing my answers in what I believe is factual information. I know people want to take it in a different way. I am telling you that’s not right.”

Schefter continued: “If they traded Jimmy Garoppolo and something were to happen to Tom Brady next season, the year after, they would be the Cleveland Browns. What would they be doing at quarterback? What was it like for that franchise before Tom Brady came along.”

So there you have it. Belichick, at least to hear Schefter tell it, is afraid of becoming the Browns. That’s a legitimate fear, but a lot of people don’t believe it. Here’s what CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco wrote last week from the NFL combine:

This, to me, smells of a calculated play by Patriots coach and general manager Bill Belichick. He is trying to drive up the price for Garoppolo. What would be the point to keeping him?

There is none. Tom Brady has continually said he will play another four years or more, and who’s to say he can’t? He turns 40 this year, but he was sensational rallying the Patriots from 25 points down to claim a Super Bowl victory over the Falcons last month. Did he look old? Washed up? Breaking down?

So why keep Garoppolo around? Some will say it’s insurance for next season. Let me tell you something: If Brady were to go down for any length of time, the Patriots are done.

As it stands, Garoppolo heads into the final year of his rookie deal and he’s set to make close to $900,000 in 2017. The Patriots could hold onto him as insurance against a 40-year-old Brady staying healthy. But with Brady expecting to play at least another 2-3 years, what do the Patriots do a year from now? Garoppolo, who wants to play, isn’t going to sign a team-friendly deal. And New England wouldn’t franchise a backup, right?

Which is why Prisco is rightly skeptical.

For now, Garoppolo remains on the Patriots’ depth chart behind Brady, who appears as if he’ll play forever. Perhaps Belichick has other ideas about Brady’s future. Or perhaps he’s only trying to drive up Garoppolo’s price before ultimately shipping him out of town -- and he’ll take his chances at not morphing into the Cleveland Browns.