Pat Patriot
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The man who once appeared to be the heir apparent to Tom Brady in New England makes his return to face the Patriots, sans Brady, with the San Francisco 49ers this season
Jimmy Garoppolo will play his first game back at Gillette stadium on October 25 against the Patriots.
Garoppolo started two games in place of a suspended Brady in 2016 before an injury knocked him out of the lineup. Midway through the 2017 season, the Patriots made a commitment to Brady by trading Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second round draft pick.
The 49ers have not played the Patriots since 2016 and the October matchup represents the first chance Garoppolo has had to face off against his former team since the trade. But Brady won’t be at quarterback as Jarrett Stidham appears to be the front-runner to take over the job in New England following Brady’s departure to Tampa Bay.
The Patriots commitment to Brady led to another Super Bowl victory to cap the 2017 season, a Super Bowl defeat to end the 2018 season and a 17th AFC East title in the last 19 seasons. Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season before their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.