We’re doing this again?
After the 2019 season, the 49ers had a chance to sign Tom Brady, who reportedly wanted to go to San Francisco after deciding to leave New England. Coming off a Super Bowl loss which was preceded by SF giving Jimmy Garoppolo a lucrative contract extension, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan decided to pass.
Maybe they shouldn’t have. Brady would go on to win the Super Bowl in 2020 with the Buccaneers, while Garoppolo played at a level that season that led San Francisco to drafting Trey Lance.
If given another chance, would they act differently? National NFL reporter Albert Breer believes they might get a chance next season with the Bucs currently crumbling.
“If you’ve got this championship roster, do you put it in Trey Lance’s hands if Tom Brady knocks on the door?” Breer asked on “98.5 The Sports Hub” in Boston.
“It’s something they discussed internally in January and February, let’s say they win the Super Bowl, and let’s say Jimmy leaves after they win the Super Bowl, and let’s say Tom Brady wants to go there?”
That’s the first time the 49ers discussing Brady this offseason has been reported, and interesting nugget considering their public commitment to Lance.
The hosts, Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand disagreed, arguing that Brady wouldn’t want to join a team that just won a Super Bowl.
Breer wasn’t so sure.
“This would check a lot of boxes,” Breer concluded. “Being able to finish in San Francisco, great offensive coach in Kyle Shanahan, great talent around him in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, [George] Kittle, Christian McCaffrey behind you. There are a lot of fun possibilities out there with Tom.”
It’s all speculation obviously, but Breer is one of the premier NFL reporters, and if he’s floating the possibility, there is probably a kernel of something there.