NOTE: Updated at 7:45 a.m.
The sporting world -- or at least that part of it that cares about the NFL -- was thrown into a frenzy at around 4 a.m. when Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to tell the world, via Instagram, that he'd been traded by the Patriots:
NOTE: The Instagram post has been deleted
No word as to where, and no word as for whom. But it did, as you can imagine, set off a firestorm of speculation among those who were awake.
But an hour-and-a-half later, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport threw cold water on it all:
Then, during a 7 a.m. appearance on WEEI's Kirk and Callahan Show, ESPN's Adam Schefter -- who has insisted throughout this free-agent season that Garoppolo won't be traded -- was more emphatic:
(Ouch.)
Moments later, our own Mike Giardi got the same info from his own sources:
With a cavaet:
Even so, it's looking more and more like there's nothing to it.
But it sure was interesting for a bit.
New England Patriots