What could've been for the Cleveland Browns and former New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Since being traded to the San Francisco 49ers, Garoppolo has quickly proven that he has the potential to develop into something quite special.

Prior to that, he was stuck with the New England Patriots as the primary backup to Tom Brady, and his long-term future was up in the air. During the first few months of the season, the Browns expressed significant interest in acquiring Garoppolo, but they were unable to pry him away from the Patriots.

According to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns offered their 2018 first-round pick from the Houston Texans, along with other assets.

I know that Brown was willing to part with Houston's first-round pick and other goodies. He would have been willing to help Belichick shop around for a backup quarterback to help the trade work.

This Texans first-round pick turned out to be the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, a far better asset for the Patriots than the second-round selection from the 49ers. However, it's clear that New England had no interest in moving Garoppolo to the Browns in any capacity regardless of how lucrative the offer was.

What makes this even more frustrating is the fact that these teams have made deals over the last couple years. Cleveland traded outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo to the Patriots for a 2017 fifth-round selection, and a few months later New England moved Pro Bowl linebacker Jamie Collins to the Browns in exchange for a 2017 third-round pick.

Although Cleveland was unable to land a promising quarterback in Garoppolo, the team will likely address the situation with either their first or fourth overall pick in the draft. Some viable options are Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Allen.