National Football League

Will the 49ers regret passing on Tom Brady twice?

Published Mar. 16, 2022 10:04 a.m. ET

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Kyle Shanahan seemingly has no room for storybook endings — or Hall of Fame quarterbacks — in San Francisco. 

With Tom Brady set on leaving New England in 2020, reports were that the NFL’s all-time passing leader pined for a move to Levi Stadium, just 25 miles from his San Mateo home, to represent his childhood team. 

Shanahan declined, believing that the Niners could find similar success with Jimmy Garoppolo. And as Brady lifted the Lombardi Trophy with Tampa Bay to cap the 2020 season, inconsistent quarterback play hamstrung a star-studded San Francisco team. 

Now, with NFL Insider Mike Sando of The Athletic theorizing that Brady’s brief retirement was a ploy to entice the Niners, Skip Bayless spent Tuesday lamenting Shanahan’s decision to pass on the GOAT … again.

"I believe Shanahan may have helped motivate Tom Brady to go win a second Super Bowl for Tampa Bay," Bayless said.

According to Seth Wickersham's book "It's Better to be Feared," when Brady was planning to leave New England, Shanahan didn’t view Brady as better than Garoppolo to a degree that he’d feel comfortable moving away from the much younger quarterback. San Francisco turned Brady away and remained committed to its ground-based offense. 

"Almost as fast as the 49ers’ interest in Brady rose, it died," Wickersham wrote. "The coaches liked Brady’s film — but didn’t love it. He was better than Garoppolo, they thought, but not that much better — not so much that it was worth trading away a locker-room leader, not to mention one who was nearly 15 years younger and coming off a Super Bowl appearance. A few days before free agency began, the 49ers decided to stick with their guy."

What Tom Brady's sudden unretirement says about the QB

Skip Bayless breaks down the potential scenarios Tom Brady explored for his return to football.

For Bayless, that decision was inexcusable, and one he believes was spearheaded by Shanahan's pride.

"Tom Brady can fit in any offense, except you have to refit the offense around him," Bayless said. "So you have to swallow your pride."

So, how has Shanahan’s decision paid off by the numbers? 

Garoppolo has 27 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 21 games since 2020. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 8 of the 2020 season. 

His most glaring deficiencies shine through in the playoffs, however, as Garoppolo's average QBR dips under 50 in the postseason.

In short, Garoppolo's numbers hardly compare to Brady's, and Bayless believes this choice will haunt San Francisco for a second time.

"This is classic Shanahan ego," Bayless said. "They're saying, ‘If he came home and won a Super Bowl here, we could take zero credit for it.’"

It appears we'll never know if that would truly be the case.

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San Francisco 49ers

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