Tom Brady to the 49ers? Never say never

Posted By on February 9, 2022

Never say never.

With those three words on the “Let’s Go” podcast Monday, Tom Brady left open the possibility of his return to the NFL and set off a whirlwind of speculation.

Of course, San Francisco has been labeled as a potential destination for Brady. The genesis of this is Brady’s believed desire to play for the team he grew up cheering for would lure him out of retirement.

Brady, a native of San Mateo, expressed interest in joining the 49ers in 2020. San Francisco chose not to pursue the then six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, instead sticking with Jimmy Garoppolo.

With Brady now retired and the 49ers set to trade Garoppolo, San Francisco could potentially send Garoppolo to Tampa Bay for the rights to Brady and a draft pick.

This would be a no brainer for San Francisco. Yes, they just used three first-round picks to trade up and select Trey Lance in the 2021 draft but let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment. Tom Brady would give the 49ers a better chance of getting to the Super Bowl and winning than a second-year quarterback who has two starts under his belt.

Brady, who would turn 45 during training camp, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career during which he threw for a career-high 5,316 yards and a league high 43 touchdowns.

On top of the increased production Brady could bring to the quarterback position, his salary cap hit for 2022 would be only $10.395 million.

There are a wide range of questions that would need to be answered if Tom Brady were to become a 49er, and it is highly unlikely that this comes to fruition.

Never say never.

This article has 15 Comments

  1. After missing out on Brady the first time, not having a chance to dance with Rodgers last year, I wouldn’t rule out Tom coming to the Bay. The 49ers couldn’t possibly be dumb enough to let this opportunity pass should it present itself.

  2. Jack,
    While his cap hit is only $10.395 how does it work with the Bonus money he is owed by Tampa? Would they just be asking Tampa to eat that? I can’t see any way tampa makes a trade with SF in that case. Maye I am missing it but I just don’t see a realistic way this gets done.

    1. The dead money would stay with Tampa. We saw this happen last offseason with the Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford trade.

    2. As Jack said, the Bucs are going to carry that cap hit. They’ll do so whether they trade him or he retires

      The big question for me is why would Brady play for just $10M? Because that’s all he would get paid for the season. The dead cap for the Bucs is money he’s already been paid.

      I don’t see him playing without getting a reworked contract.

      1. The only way this crazy scenario comes about at all is Brady wanting to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing for his boyhood fave team, his version of a bucket list. After all, Joe was his idol. That might mean more to him than a mere paycheck.

        1. I still cannot believe we rejected his offer 2 years ago! Safe to say we easily win the SB this year with him!

  3. I’m not in favor of signing Tom Brady. Ready for the Trey Lance era to begin. BUT if the 49ers did sign Brady and let Lance sit and learn another year, Trey Lance would still be younger than Mac Jones, and same age as Trevor Lawrence & Zach Wilson were when they became the starters for their teams. I just don’t like that you’ve basically wasted 2 years of his rookie contract and then it would be something like 4 years since Trey Lance was a starting QB. I’ve got to think such a long layoff does something to diminish the kids skill set.

    1. On the other hand your chances of playing in and winning a super bowl go way up, perhaps become the favorites. There is no price tag on that.

  5. I think this is much ado about nothing. He retired. I’m sure he thought through other possible situations.

    1. i will call him, then it is on like Donkey Kong ! we are headed West young,oops old man.
      Tom, Gronk and Kittle babay !!

  6. If the Niners offer up a deal for Tom Brady’s services, what does that say about the credibility of the organization, with regard to his recent comments about Lance being the starter next season? Furthermore, what does that tell Trey Lance?

  7. `
    Not only will Tom Brady play next season for the Niner’s
    But so will Gronk who is a Free Agent –
    Which means another Ring for both of them –
    A $20 BILL SAYS IT HAPPENS –
    BRADY / GRONK / THE RING(S)…

Comments are closed.