Lamar Jackson interested in following Garoppolo's lead as Patriots backup
Lamar Jackson seems fully willing to follow the path that led Jimmy Garoppolo to (briefly) become the NFL's highest-paid quarterback.
"Oh, definitely it worked out," Jackson said Wednesday at a pre-draft press conference at AT&T Stadium, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "He learned a lot from Tom Brady."
Garoppolo was Brady's backup for his first three-and-a-half years in the NFL after being selected in the second round of the 2014 draft. After a midseason trade sent him to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, he signed a contract extension that made him the top-paid quarterback in the league in terms of annual average value, until it was topped by Kirk Cousins' fully-guaranteed deal with the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
It was reported Wednesday the Patriots have "legit" interest in Jackson, after holding two workouts with the quarterback prospect. Jackson seems to match their interest in a potential pairing that would have him serve as Brady's backup for the foreseeable future.
"I’m just happy for my name to be on their mind, period," Jackson said. "It's cool to me. I'm cool with it in a positive way."