After losing in the 2020 Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers were bested once again this offseason – this time in the chase for the likely GOAT quarterback Tom Brady in free agency.
Brady famously signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason, and the team added his longtime compatriot (pardon the pun) Rob Gronkowski as well.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed the team’s attempts to sign Brady this offseason, specifically after the team lost in the Super Bowl.
“We had to seriously discuss it to decide whether to go forward to where it could come close or not,” the 49ers boss told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami on The TK Show, via NBC Sports.
“So it didn't come close, but that's why John and I had to put the time into it. If you would have asked us that right after the Super Bowl — I mean, Tom Brady, everyone knows what Tom Brady is, and how unbelievable he's been. But if you had asked us that right after the Super Bowl, that's kind of unheard of. It's a pipe dream. Like, you don't really think about that.”
Shanahan, however, emphasized that it worked out well in the end. While it didn't end the way they really wanted, the 49ers coach said he is happy for the team and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“We were just so happy with our team and happy with Jimmy [Garoppolo]. It didn't end the way we wanted. We can all do better — myself, Jimmy,” he added.
Indeed, the 49ers already have a Brady-lite quarterback on its roster in the firm of Garoppolo, who was groomed for multiple seasons under the tutelage of Brady with the New England Patriots. He even started multiple games at the beginning of the 2016 season when Brady was out due to the notorious “deflategate” scandal.
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