AFC Notes: Garoppolo, Murray, Fins, Jaguars

Bill Belichick is unlikely to spend much time working on a trade proposal involving Jimmy Garoppolo, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Despite the Belichick-era Patriots making a league-high 61 trades since he took over in 2000, the coach is more likely to let Garoppolo and Tom Brady‘s agent, Don Yee, find a team that’s willing to extend Garoppolo and have said team put together a compelling array of assets.

La Canfora notes the latest Pats backup quarterback/trade candidate has a chance to be a quality starter. Of course, a buyer-beware element could exist based on Garoppolo’s small sample size (94 pass attempts in three seasons) and the Patriots’ previous trades of Brady backups not working out well for the teams acquiring them.

Relationships between certain key members of quarterback-needy teams and Yee could come into play, with La Canfora noting Hue Jackson has known Yee for more than 20 years and Bears GM Ryan Pace (from the Eastern Illinois grad’s relationship to Yee client Sean Payton; Garoppolo is an Eastern Illinois alum) has known Yee for many years as well. Both teams have been linked to a possible Garoppolo trade, one that La Canfora estimates will send the Patriots a similar haul to the one the Eagles collected for Sam Bradford. Although, some Garoppolo skepticism emerged this week, with a group of anonymous decision-makers preferring A.J. McCarron to the fourth-year Patriot as a trade asset.

[RELATED: Should the Patriots Trade Jimmy Garoppolo?]

Here’s more from the AFC.

• A possible contractual hangup stands in the way of a Dolphins–Jaguars Branden Albert-for-Julius Thomas swap, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Albert, 32, has two years remaining on his five-year, $47MM deal. Thomas, 28, has three remaining on a five-year, $46.5MM accord. Both teams are in need of upgrades, the Jaguars at left tackle and Dolphins at tight end. Neither player has proven he can stay healthy throughout a season, however. With Albert being set to make $4MM more than Kelvin Beachum did last year at $9MM, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap wonders (Twitter links) if the hesitation is on the Jags’ end. Thomas is scheduled to make $7.1MM; Miami paid Jordan Cameron $6MM in 2016 for little production. Mike Garafolo of NFL.com expects the deal to be finalized by the time the new league year opens, however.
• The Raiders want to retain Latavius Murray, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). But the reporter adds the fifth-year running back will have a market as well. Teams like the Giants, Buccaneers, Vikings and others could be in need of a medium- or long-term backfield solution. Murray may have some additional appeal due to the fact he has less wear and tear than other backs who have entered free agency in recent years. A starting back for barely two years and having missed his entire rookie season due to injury, the 27-year-old Murray only has 543 carries on his odometer. The sides have discussed an extension, and Reggie McKenzie noted Murray’s importance to Oakland’s offense — while acknowledging he may be swayed toward the market — earlier this month.
• The Titans may not view a three-down linebacker as a primary need the way, holding fourth-year ‘backer Avery Williamson in a reasonably high regard, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com notes. The Titans hold two first-round picks and could nab a top-flight ILB with one. ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. (Insider link) has the team going with Marshon Lattimore and O.J. Howard, respectively, with its two first-rounders.
• Within the same mailbag piece, Kuharsky adds Broncos RFA linebacker Todd Davis could have several suitors. The Broncos experienced an eventful RFA last year, placing a low-end tender on C.J. Anderson before ultimately matching a Dolphins offer sheet on their starting running back. Denver applied a second-round tender to Davis’ inside linebacker mate, Brandon Marshall, last season before signing him to a four-year extension later.