immy Garoppolo has as many Super Bowl rings as he has starts in the NFL, but neither number properly represents his career path up to this point. Tom Brady's backup has big potential as a quarterback in the pros, and the interest he's generating this offseason proves that.

He'll likely be the biggest trade chip on the market with teams like the Browns, Bears and 49ers being good fits for the young QB. He's heard the rumors and the reports, and they're not likely to stop -- especially with the way his family has been flooding him with questions.

Garoppolo said on Adam Schefter's podcast that family members in his home state of Illinois have asked him about potentially going to the Bears.

"I get asked this all the time from my friends and family back in Chicago," Garoppolo said. "They're good reporters, my family. But I keep telling them I really don't know how I'd feel until it happened, if it happened. It's kind of one of those things that's hard to say right now."

Garoppolo has seen his name surface more in the past few months than ever before, mainly because Tom Brady is still playing at such a high level and has showed no signs of slowing down. Add that to the fact that Garoppolo is only under contract for one more season and the Patriots would seem to benefit from moving him now.

There's no shortage of rumors, and although Garoppolo tries to distance himself from them, it's difficult with his mom always being in the loop.

"I try to," Garoppolo said. "I can't say that I do it completely, but I try to. My mom loves telling me the news updates, so she's all over that stuff, but it's been working really well. I'm telling you, she could be your assistant. She's all over the place. Her and my dad on Twitter and stuff like that. I don't even think they know how to tweet, but they always have something going on."

Garoppolo admits "it's an exciting time" and that his family is excited about what could potentially happen, but nothing is certain at this moment. The Patriots could very well hold on to him for another season and let him walk in 2018 free agency, or make him Brady's heir in a few years.

As of now, he has no clue where he'll wind up this offseason. He told Schefter "your guess is as good as mine," and is just trying to stay away from it all. That all sounds well and good, but Garoppolo can't completely ignore the trade rumors that are bound to swirl for the next few months.

"For the most part I'm just trying to stay level-headed, try not to over think it too much," Garoppolo said. "Because at the end of the day, I'm still under contract. It's not my decision if I get traded or if I don't. So you try to take it all in stride. When you really start thinking about it, your head will start spinning."