Would you trade a 28-year old quarterback about to head to his first of what could be several Super Bowls for a quarterback who will be 43 years old at the start of next season, is on the tail end of his career, and has seemingly lost a step? No? Maybe I'm not selling it right. What if that soon-to-be 43-year-old signal-caller is a six-time Super Bowl champion? Still no?
That's probably smart.
I'm going to go ahead and tell you what Skip Bayless of Fox Sports 1 said anyways. He believes the 49ers would be five-point favorites heading into Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs rather than 1.5-point underdogs if they had Tom Brady at quarterback rather than Jimmy Garoppolo.
Bayless tells fellow Undisputed host Shannon Sharpe that Garoppolo is the weak link and unknown factor heading into this Super Bowl matchup, despite his stats and record as a starter.
"What is the potential Achilles heel for the 49ers?" Bayless asks Sharpe. "Who is the guy that Kyle Shanahan will do his darndest to try to keep the ball out of his hands? It's Jimmy Garoppolo."
"If Tom Brady were the quarterback of the 49ers going to this Super Bowl, they would be a 5-point favorite instead of a a 1.5-point underdog. You know it and I know it." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/ok3aSmVgdJ
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 20, 2020
Bayless goes on to call Garoppolo a "deer-in-headlights" quarterback and says Brady is more accurate than the 49ers signal-caller. Sharpe warned Bayless to "be careful" with that statement.
Garoppolo completed 68.8 percent of his passes through 18 games this season, while Brady completed 60.5 percent through his 17 games. Garoppolo owns a 101.0 passer rating while Brady finished with a rating of 86.4 rating. Garoppolo's 75.5 passing grade from Pro Football Focus is on par with Brady's 76.0 rating.
Of course, Bayless shifts gears saying Brady is better in Super Bowls than Garoppolo, which is difficult to determine considering the latter hasn't played in one yet.
"He's just more trustworthy under fire, especially in Super Bowls," Bayless continues, "which Tom Brady has mostly owned. He's 6-3 in Super Bowls, and to me, he's not getting any older. You think he's done, he's over the hill, he's washed up."
Obviously, Bayless is much more confident in Brady than Garoppolo, and even feels a bad game by the 49ers quarterback could lead to a switch by team decision-makers.
"If by chance — I'll knock on wood for the 49ers — if Jimmy G becomes the reason, by far, that they lose this Super Bowl," Bayless adds, "if he throws three picks, and completely unravels, and just looks awful in the face of Patrick Mahomes, I would not be shocked if John Lynch, the 49ers GM, if he doesn't in the offseason make a play for Tom Brady because it has been written several times that they could get out from under Jimmy G without any huge salary cap hit."
Well, there you go. There is Bayless' opinion. Take it for what it's worth.
H/t to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area for the find.