One day, the Patriots may rue the decision to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, and some in the organization may see that day coming.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter believes that to be the case.

“I’m sure there is some [regret]. Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be a top quarterback in this league for the next decade or so. You don’t want to let a guy like that go when Tom Brady is at the tail end of his career,” Schefter said on ESPN’s “Woj Pod.”

“In a perfect world you get to hold on to both guys, and when Brady decides to walk away, Garoppolo is ready to step in and assume the throne. But, it didn’t work out like that for a variety of reasons — Jimmy’s contract was coming up, Tom is not ready to quit playing just yet. And people say that timing in life is a lot, and in this particular case it was. Because if Tom had decided a year ago that I am done, maybe they would have been able keep Garoppolo, sign him to a long-term extension. If his contract weren’t coming up at that point, maybe they could have held on to him for another year without losing him.”

The Patriots moved Garoppolo to the 49ers last October for a second-round pick. He started five games last year for the 49ers and won all five, throwing seven touchdowns to five interceptions. He signed a five-year, $137.5 million contract in the offseason.

“They did what they could and they took it as far as they could,” Schefter said. “They would have liked to have taken it further, but the circumstances were such that basically it had run its course. You can’t pay both quarterbacks at the end of the year. It’s just not going to work. I think that is what they ultimately realized. In the end, as much as they would have liked to keep Jimmy G, as much as people there would have liked to have kept Jimmy G.”