Skip Bayless of Fox Sports 1 is the one who kicked off all the Tom Brady to San Francisco 49ers speculation. And that's all it seems to be, at this point — speculation. But the Undisputed host still envisions a Brady-49ers marriage as the quarterback's, and possibly the team's, best chance to win another Super Bowl.
Bayless believes the 49ers would have emerged as the Super Bowl LIV champions had they had Brady at quarterback rather than Jimmy Garoppolo.
Brady is scheduled to become a free agent in March. Bayless, along with co-host Shannon Sharpe, went through the various landing-spot possibilities for the future Hall of Famer, who likely seeks a Super Bowl contender as a destination. After all, he will be 43 years old by the start of the 2020 season.
Bayless notes some comments by Kurt Warner of NFL Network, who reportedly said the path to the Super Bowl is easier in the NFC because of the emergence of talented young quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson on the AFC side.
"The ultimate goal for Tom Brady, the ultimate match of quarterback and team, the fairytale story, the storybook ending would be Tom goes home to the 49ers," said Bayless. "Why wouldn't they cut bait with the Jimmy G, that clearly Kyle Shanahan has not bought completely into. He had lots of nice moments, but in the biggest moments in the playoffs, they took the ball out of his hands until the fourth quarter, when it was too late, in the Super Bowl. And then they tried to put it in his hands, and you know the rest of the story."
Going "home to the 49ers," of course, is a reference to Brady, a former San Mateo resident, growing up a fan of the team.
Bayless notes that the 49ers can very easily get out of Garoppolo's salary as the team has a potential exit in the contract. The host also believes New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would welcome back Garoppolo if given the opportunity, whether that means the 49ers releasing the quarterback or trading him back to the team which drafted him.
"What makes most sense for me is for Tom Brady to make the call to John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan, and try to figure out if that would be a fit," Bayless continues. "Again, the NFC is the easier path, but there's no wide-open job because Jimmy is there (in San Francisco), and Dak (Prescott) is obviously in Dallas."
The bottom line is that we'll likely be hearing a lot of speculation surrounding Brady's uncertain future in the coming weeks. It is undoubtedly one of the more prominent storylines at the NFL Scouting Combine. 49ers fans won't be immune to the chatter.
You can watch the entire discussion on Undisputed below.
Why John Lynch believes 49ers QB Brock Purdy is the "real deal"
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 31
Over the offseason, there has been significant talk surrounding the San Francisco 49ers and their quarterbacks, especially after the team signed Sam Darnold in free agency, providing them three capable options with starting experience in the former Carolina Panther, Brock Purdy, and Trey Lance.
Purdy is evidently the leader in the clubhouse, as stated by general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan several times this offseason, but many have pointed out his flaws, such as the inability to make throws downfield, as a reason why one of the other quarterbacks could win over the starting job with a strong performance in organized team activities(OTAs) and training camp.
What do the 49ers believe about Purdy's downfield ability?
General manager
Eagles' Lane Johnson agrees matchup vs. 49ers would have been "a different game" with healthy Brock Purdy
By David Bonilla
May 24
Lance Johnson fought through injuries to play in the Philadelphia Eagles' three playoff games, including the Super Bowl. The offensive lineman suffered a torn adductor injury late in the regular season but held off on undergoing surgery to participate in the Eagles' playoff run.
Johnson was in pain throughout the run, which included an NFC Championship Game win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the two-time All-Pro wasn't the only one fighting through an injury. Both of the 49ers' quarterbacks suffered injuries in the game. First, Brock Purdy left after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. Then, he was forced to return to the field after his backup, Josh Johnson, suffered a concussion.
Purdy couldn't throw the football, though,
Rohan Chakravarthi and Jessie Naylor break down Day 1 of the San Francisco 49ers OTAs that was available to media.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our dedicated podcast page, on
Kyle Shanahan feels "really fortunate" with 49ers' QB room
By David Bonilla
May 24
Kyle Shanahan praises his quarterback room every year. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through three starting quarterbacks and still made it to the NFC Championship Game. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury during his second game. Eleven weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a broken foot.
That opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy to show his coaches and the NFL world that he belonged, despite being the last overall pick in the draft. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before suffering a severe injury in that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Two of the quarterbacks from last season—Lance and Purdy—remain. Both are just 23 years old. They are joined by Sam
