If this trade came from Belichick, I'd chalk this up to the Patriots being the Patriots. Garoppolo played six quarters of good football on a championship team under the greatest coach of all-time. He could have been good, but I don't think the certainty was much more than it would have been with your run-of-the-mill second round pick.
If Kraft forced this, it's a big deal and could signify the continued opening of a rift from within that organization. Brady has been great as usual this season, but the end usually comes fast and I don't see how you can look at that as anything other than a year to year situation right now. He's declined some - not a lot, but some - and may have benefited last season from being fresher late in the year because of the suspension. He played probably three halves of objectively bad football in last years postseason. Things like age tend to matter more in the playoffs, particularly in cold climates.
This could have the double-edged effect of chasing not only a potential franchise quarterback out the door but also Belichick, who would theoretically be less inclined post Brady to continue without a replacement in the wings. If Brady is done at 41 (how many guys have played quarterback beyond that?), suddenly this thing could all be over a lot sooner than people thought.
