An unlikely team has entered the sweepstakes for 42-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, and it happens to be the same one he grew up rooting for.
Tom Brady first picked up a football as a young boy by the shores of San Francisco Bay. As he nears the end of his Canton-bound NFL career, it’s becoming increasingly possible he throws his last pass there, as well.
Brady, who turns 43 by the time the 2020 season begins, becomes a free agent on March 18. He’s spent his entire career playing under head coach Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls, three MVP awards, and getting to the cusp of setting all the league passing records.
Brady and Belichick have been a match made in heaven, dominating the league like no other duo in history. So why would Brady, with the end of his career in sight, choose now to leave New England for another team? Because that’s where he stands the best chance of adding a seventh ring to his collection.
The team in the best position to give Brady that opportunity is the same team he grew up rooting for in San Mateo, California, the San Francisco 49ers. As a four-year-old boy, Brady and his father attended the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park where Joe Montana and Dwight Clark connected on “The Catch” and etched their names into NFL lore.
The 49ers are the defending NFC champions and coming off a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in February. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, a former protege of Brady in New England, was 15 minutes away from leading the 49ers to victory before completing 3-of-12 passes in the fourth quarter for 36 yards and an interception, good for a passer rating of 4.9. With the game in his hands, he overthrew Emmanuel Sanders on third down with 1:40 remaining on what would’ve been a go-ahead touchdown.
With Garoppolo at the helm, head coach Kyle Shanahan is content to rely on his running game instead of counting on Garoppolo to win the game for him. It wouldn’t be like that if he can acquire Brady.
Shanahan saw for himself when he was the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons how Brady erased a 25-point deficit to win the Super Bowl. In the fourth quarter of his last three Super Bowls, Brady is 34-fo-48 for 414 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions (a 110.9 rating).
The 2019 Patriots had a terrific defense hamstrung by an often middling offense. They never replaced Rob Gronkowski after the tight end announced his retirement.
By contrast, the 49ers have a Gronk-like tight end for Brady to become acquainted in George Kittle. They have a promising young receiver in Deebo Samuel and Sanders to work the slot just like Julian Edelman. They also have a defensive line anchored by second-year end Nick Bosa that should remain intact for years.
It’s the type of situation Brady will be looking for as he rides into the sunset of his career.
But will it actually happen? The 49ers will have to figure out what to do with Garoppolo, while the Patriots will have to be willing to part ways with Brady. Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston told SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio show on Tuesday the 49ers are “closing hard on the outside” in the race for Brady, although the Patriots and Titans remain the front-runners.
Belichick also has a history of getting rid of players too early rather than wait until they’re on the downside of their careers: Lawyer Milloy, Richard Seymour, Jamie Collins, and Chandler Jones were all victims of Belichick’s non-sentimental personnel style.
Brady in a 49ers uniform will upend the dynamics of the 2020 season. The 49ers will jump to the top of Super Bowl betting odds; the Patriots will fall well down. It still remains a rumor, but the next generation of 49ers fans who wear their uniform like a young Brady did all those years ago can always dream.