Uncertainty around Tom Brady’s future has pushed the seemingly retired quarterback back into the 49ers’ quarterback conversation. The team opted to pass on adding him in the 2020 offseason, and now he’s back in the mix again at least on some level as questions arise about whether he’s actually done playing football.
If Brady does get the itch to play one more year and finish his career with the team he grew up rooting for, the 49ers internally would have to at least discuss it. That’s why Brady’s name is going to stick in any Trey Lance conversation until either Lance is under center for Week 1 or Brady doubles down on his desire to hang up his pads.
This isn’t an indictment on Lance either. Brady is just the one quarterback who might force the 49ers to pause their plans on moving forward with the No. 3 overall pick and try one year with the most decorated QB of all-time who led the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes last season.
Whether the 49ers would (or should, or could) actually do it is still a question mark, and that debate is going to continue. San Francisco opted to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo after his strong finish to 2019 and Brady’s lackluster finish to the same season. It looked like their arrows were pointing in opposite directions with Garoppolo’s pointing up and Brady’s trending down.
Now that Brady has proven he’s still an MVP-caliber quarterback, the 49ers could certainly decide not to make the same mistake twice if he comes calling. It would delay Lance one more year on his rookie contract, but going from the Patrick Mahomes blueprint to the Aaron Rodgers blueprint isn’t such a bad shift. And if Lance is going to be an awesome quarterback, they’ll be contending for Super Bowls even after his rookie deal is up.
There would be a few hangups beyond whether the 49ers wanted to push Lance’s ownership of the offense back a year. They’d need to pay Brady while presumably also extending Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa. They’d also have to send compensation to the Buccaneers in a trade since they still hold Brady’s rights. Tampa Bay may be ready to play ball and deal him for a late-round pick. They may also not want to trade him within the conference and choose instead to force San Francisco to give up a more premium asset.
Tom Brady may or may not be done playing football. He may or may not want to play for the 49ers, and the 49ers may or may not want him to play for them. It’s a fascinating hypothetical though, and as long as Brady leaves the door open for a return, the conversation is going to continue. And as reports surface about Brady working out and staying in shape, as free agency begins to unfold and as we inch closer to offseason programs, the conversation is only going to get louder.
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