Report: 49ers Out On Tom Brady, Down To Patriots & Buccaneers

Chris Simms of NBC Sports reports that the 49ers are out on the possibility of signing QB Tom Brady and plan to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback. 

Simms says Brady’s “No. 1 choice” was to sign with the 49ers, but something happened in the last few days that led to San Francisco deciding to stick with Garoppolo.

According to Simms, it’s down to the Patriots and Buccaneers for Brady and he doesn’t think New England will be willing to pay him $30 million per year. Instead, Simms believes the Patriots may offer Brady something in the range of $20 million per year factors in the cap hit they would take if he’s on the team or not.

Simms says it’s possible the Buccaneers could offer him close to $30 million, but he believes it’s more likely he returns to New England. 

The Titans had come up as a potential landing spot for Brady, but they have since signed Ryan Tannehill to a long-term deal. The Chargers and Raiders have also been mentioned in connection to Brady, but there hasn’t been a lot of buzz about either in recent weeks. 

Last week, Rick Stroud reported that the Buccaneers plan to go all-in for Brady if he’s available when the legal tampering period starts Monday. 

Stroud says Tampa Bay plans to pitch Brady hard on contract, with the cap space to offer him whatever he needs, weapons on offense and scheme flexibility with HC Bruce Arians to adjust to what he wants. 

Brady, 42, is a former sixth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2000. He was in the final year of his two-year, $41 million contract when he agreed to a two-year extension a few weeks ago. 

Brady made $23 million for the 2019 season and is in line to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. 

In 2019, Brady appeared in all 16 games for the Patriots and threw for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 34 yards and three touchdowns.

We have Brady featured in our Top 100 – 2020 Free Agents list.