Jimmy Garoppolo’s Patriots past under microscope

Bill Belichick reportedly had no interest in letting Jimmy Garoppolo get away, but as speculation of a potential Patriots reunion looms, it’s not clear that all of his former teammates felt the same way.

Former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who played in New England long before Garoppolo got there, indicated that the quarterback’s injury history may have shaded his teammates’ perception of him.

“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 Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” in Boston. “Like, he was kind of a little bit Mr. Glass. And I am not talking about the Sam Jackson character, where they were like, ‘Can’t really depend on him. Can’t stay on the field.’”

When pressed on whether that feeling was from players or coaches, Wiggins offered, “Between the lines they looked at him like, ‘Can we really count on this dude?’”

The Patriots ultimately traded Garoppolo to the 49ers, but three and a half years later, his future in San Francisco is up in the air. That especially became the case last week when the 49ers traded up to the No. 3 pick – peak quarterback territory – though they have claimed that it doesn’t mean they are done with Garoppolo.

As Tom Brady’s backup, Garoppolo wasn’t asked to be on the field all that often. In his final full season with the Patriots in 2016, with Brady serving a four-game suspension for Deflategate, Garoppolo did start the first two games of the season. But he suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the final two game’s of Brady’s suspension, and Jacoby Brissett filled in.

In three full seasons with the 49ers, Garoppolo has started 25 games. He tore his ACL in 2018 before a pair of ankle sprains limited him to six games last season.