NFL Notebook: Depending on where you sit, Robert Kraft was either the hero, villain or a little of both in Jimmy Garoppolo trade

Jimmy Garoppolo comes home today, as the 49ers visit the Patriots.

The storylines are just too delicious.

On one sideline you'll have Bill Belichick watching the player he wanted to start Dynasty 3.0 with. On the other, you'll have Kyle Shanahan, who was so stunned by Belichick's trade offer for Garoppolo nearly three years ago to the day — just a second-round pick — that he prepared a counter offer just in case Belichick wised up.

And up in the owner's booth will be Robert Kraft, who made today's scenario happen.

If you were grateful for Tom Brady's final two seasons in New England, and that shiny sixth Lombardi Trophy, then you should be thanking Kraft.

If the Patriots' offense with Cam Newton is clunky for his third-straight start and the Patriots lose to the 49ers to drop to, gasp, 2-4 to start the season, then maybe you're a little ticked at the Patriots' patriarch.

Or maybe you just have mixed feelings about all of it. That's understandable. Just don't let Kraft's role in all this get snowed as he has become the first of the trio to get their side out (The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict is available at the Pats Pro Shop now!). Because if it was fully up to Belichick, Brady would have been gone after the 2017 season and Garoppolo would be in the midst of his third season as the Patriots' starting QB.

How?

The writing was on the wall following the victory over the Falcons in the 2016 Super Bowl. Brady, it seemed, had won the war. He had staved off any decline and Garoppolo, led the team to a 14-2 record and a fifth title. A contract extension to finish his career as the Patriots' starter was surely going to come.

Only there were crickets from Belichick. No extension would be given to Brady in early 2017. Garoppolo was not going to be traded for four first-round picks.

It was all there for us to see, if we wanted to (I know I didn't ... Tom had won, pay the man, move Jimmy and go find the next, next guy): Belichick was moving on from Brady, if 2017 played out for Brady as Belichick thought it would. One more year, 2017, with TB12, and then Brady would be traded, and the Patriots would become Garoppolo's team in 2018. If you needed further evidence, just look at the way Belichick suddenly treated Alex Guerrero — the coach was taking back his team and laying the groundwork to get back to the humble and utilitarian beginnings of the franchise with an unassuming QB and a tough defense.

(Actually, if you believe the latest, updated edition of the book "12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight for Redemption" by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge, Belichick actually tried to trade Brady to the 49ers at that '17 trade deadline, not Garoppolo.)

Kraft had other ideas. He was not going to see Brady finish that way in New England, like Joe Montana or Brett Favre did in their iconic homes. Brady never pushed to have Garoppolo traded. Brady just wanted respect and loyalty for all he had done — and proven in 2016 — with the sort of contract that made it indisputable that Brady would be the franchise QB for a while. Kraft knew that was not going to happen, so he took away Belichick's other option. No one will ever know if Kraft ordered the Code Red in exacting words, but there was little doubt Belichick felt pushed into a corner after meeting with Kraft and suddenly the man who wouldn't be traded for four first-round picks was gone in a flash for a second.

As we know from the Kraft-friendly "The Dynasty" book by Jeff Benedict, Kraft almost had egg on his face in the 2018 offseason when Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen told Kraft they wanted out, they had enough of Belichick.

Can you imagine if Kraft pushed for the Garoppolo trade and then Brady bolted after that season? You could understand Brady's side — it's not like he pushed for Garoppolo to be traded and said, "If you do it, I'll stay for two more seasons in return." To Brady, the Garoppolo trade had nothing to do with him, so he didn't owe anyone anything.

That's why Kraft had to convince Brady to stay for the final two years of his contract, and then he would be free to go.

Brady did Kraft and Patriots fans a huge solid by agreeing to that. And that sixth trophy represents all the justification needed for the Garoppolo trade and the final two years of Brady, even the quarterback foray this offseason.

But you also have to contemplate what would have happened had Belichick just been left to his own devices.

There's little chance the Patriots win that sixth trophy with Garoppolo. Trust me, I was there when Aaron Rodgers followed Favre and the team that was one INT away from the Super Bowl in 2007 fell to 6-10 in 2008. Would the Packers have won the Super Bowl in 2008 if Green Bay kept Favre over Rodgers? It's possible with a weak playoff field that year (Steelers over the Cardinals in the Super Bowl). I can guarantee this: the Packers would have been much better with Favre in '08. But would the Packers go on to win it all in '10 and to NFC Championship games in '14 and '16 if Favre wasn't traded?

That's some of the reality the Patriots are living now. They kept their Favre and traded their Rodgers.

It would have gotten really weird around here if Brady was traded before the 2018 season and Garoppolo was given an extension. The Patriots have weathered a ton of things, but that type of pressure would have been unbearable and it would have cracked the team at some point.

But, like the Packers, the Patriots might have been better for the long run, like Rodgers and the Packers. Maybe even gotten that sixth title by now.

We'll never know because Kraft stepped in.

For some of you, that was great. For others — especially if the franchise flounders without a franchise QB the next few years — you might be irked by that.

NICKEL PACKAGE

1. Not sure the Patriots had the right plan for a player more than Trent Brown in recent years. The 49ers were tired of him, and dumped him on the Patriots, who got him in a contract year. Brown played great in 2018, helped get another Super Bowl title for the organization, and then he signed a mega-deal with the Raiders. Brown has barely played this season, tested positive for Covid-19 and then, because he didn't always wear his tracking device, the entire offensive line had to be isolated ahead of a big game against the Bucs. That is one huge headache. Thank goodness the Patriots never really entertained signing Brown — for good reason.

2. Taunton native Eric DeCosta continues to great work as Ravens GM since taking over for Ozzie Newsome, with the trade for Yannick Ngakoue the latest example. Baltimore has a very talented roster and is $43.8 million under the cap for 2021. Of course, it doesn't mean anything if Lamar Jackson can't win a playoff game.

3. Patriots' rushing attack should have a lot more snap thanks to the activation of center David Andrews. The more time he misses, the more apparent it is he's a vital cog in the rushing attack. Patriots have to run the ball to move on offense, and 49ers have struggled with athletic QBs.

4. The biggest key in today's game is how the Patriots will match up with the 49ers' base personnel. Is Anfernee Jennings ready to play a big role? Can the Patriots' lollipop guild handle two backs and a great blocking tight end by themselves? If not, it's going to be a long day for the Patriots' defense. I think the Patriots find a way, force Jimmy Garoppolo to make throws against pressure to beat them, and make enough plays against a depleted San Francisco defense to keep this really close. It will come down to the very end. 49ers 24, Patriots 23. 

5. Week 7 NFL Picks vs. spreads

I suck.

Last week: 3-10. Best bet: 0-1
Total: 25-42-1 (.375). Best bet: 2-2-1.

Bengals +3.5
Washington -1
Atlanta -1
Carolina +6.5
Bills -10
Packers -3.5
Seattle -3.5
49ers +3
Chiefs -7.5
Raiders +5.5
Steelers +1.5
Chargers -7.5
Bears +6 (BB)