Tom Brady to the 49ers? Never say never

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.