Jimmy Garoppolo announced he was leaving the New England Patriots - before he was revealed to be the victim of an Instagram hack.

Backup quarterback Garoppolo, a Super Bowl winner last month, has been the subject of trade talk for much of the NFL offseason despite the Patriots appearing to quash such suggestions.

It was understood in some quarters that the 25-year-old former Eastern Illinois standout was seen by New England as the eventual heir to five-time champion and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady in Foxborough.

And it was thought that that was now not the case when Garoppolo took to social media to thank the fans in Boston for his time there in the early hours of Friday morning.

"So grateful for my time in New England. Peace out Boston," he wrote on Instagram.

But his agent has now confirmed that his client's social media was compromised.

"Jimmy's social media account was hacked," Don Yee told NFL Network.