FOXBORO — The NFL has long held firmly its opposition to gambling. Apparently that message never got to Bill Belichick or Kyle Shanahan.
Both Belichick and Shanahan gambled the short- and long-term futures of their franchises Monday when the Patriots swapped untested backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round draft choice.
In different ways, each was making a statement about the future.
In New England’s case it was going back to the future, doubling down on a 40-year-old quarterback some believe may be the greatest ever and all agree is in any conversation about the short list for such designation.