It was always believed that Jimmy Garoppolo was the heir apparent to quarterback Tom Brady in New England. Following a trade that went down on Monday, Garoppolo is now the quarterback of the future for the San Francisco 49ers.
What does his mentor in New England think about the sudden and shocking trade? Brady spoke with Jim Gray of Westwood One on Monday and shared his thoughts.
"Well, Jimmy was a great teammate and he's a great friend and he always will be," Brady said. "I want nothing but the very best for him. He's earned the trust of his teammates and the respect of his teammates and that's all you can ask for as a player."
Brady was asked if he believed Garoppolo would be a good starting quarterback for the 49ers.
"I certainly hope so," Brady responded. "He's put in all the effort and I've watched him for three and a half years and really enjoyed working with him and hopefully he goes on and does a great job."
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The trade left New England with Brady as the only quarterback on the roster. However, former 49ers starter Brian Hoyer, who was released in the wake of the Garoppolo trade, is a likely candidate to be Brady's backup. Hoyer was reportedly supposed to be part of the trade but was removed from the deal because of possible compensatory pick concerns on the part of New England.
Was Brady surprised by the news of the trade?
"This is the time of the year where we've been a part of a lot of trades, our team has, over the years," Brady said. "Again, as players, we try to show up to work every day doing the best we can do and a lot of other things take care of themselves. When other teams want good players, whether it's coming to our team or leaving our team, those are the type of opportunities that present themselves. They come up.
"Like I said, Jimmy's been a great teammate and a great friend and he always will be. I want nothing but the very best for him."
Garoppolo was sent to the 49ers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 draft. With San Francisco winless through eight games, the pick is likely to be very early in the round.