Tom Brady Rumors: San Francisco Landing Spot Shouldn’t Be Dismissed, Per Peter King
If the New England Patriots aren’t able to re-sign Tom Brady before March 18, there are plenty of suitors who would like to steal him away. One team that came into the picture late is the San Francisco 49ers. While some people have dismissed talk of Brady supplanting his former protege in Jimmy Garoppolo, there are some in and around the NFL who believe the idea isn’t that crazy. Count Peter King among those who isn’t laughing off the rumors just yet.
King wrote in a recent NBC Sports column that he thinks the 49ers’ silence on the issue might speak volumes. He posited that instead of saying, “we have no interest in Tom Brady and we’re sticking with Jimmy G,” they haven’t said anything at all. Certainly, that could simply be a team not willing to rule anything out, but it’s still a noteworthy lack of a response.
Garropolo is the quarterback who just took San Francisco to the Super Bowl. Brady fell short of that goal in 2019.
King also thinks head coach Kyle Shanahan might decide he’d rather see what Brady can do in his offense, rather than wait out Jimmy G figuring it out completely.
“There is no offensive mind in the NFL more confident in himself and his offense — and rightfully so — than Shanahan. Whereas I would say, Why take Brady for a year or two instead of Garoppolo for the next 10 years? Shanahan MIGHT say, ‘Gimme Brady, and I’ll worry about next year, next year.’“
Ali Thanawalla of Yahoo Sports pointed out that for now, Brady to the 49ers is people connecting dots more than hearing real interest from either side or the other. The Pats’ signal-caller is from San Fran and grew up a Niners fan.
Thanawalla still isn’t as sold as King is on the silence being a sign. He believes it would be insane for the 49ers to walk away from Garropolo right now. He’s under contract for three more years and is still just 28-years-old. Brady is on the downside of his career. Even if one argues a bad season from him is better than most, there are no guarantees fans will be able to say that in 2020.
At the same time, Thanawalla agrees that there is still an opening for fans to believe Tom Brady could be coming to The Bay next season. Until the San Francisco 49ers publicly announce they are sticking with their quarterback or Brady signs elsewhere, the rumors can’t be completely dismissed.
