The San Francisco 49ers likely (maybe briefly) considered the possibility of adding Tom Brady this offseason but opted to stay with Jimmy Garoppolo. The team reportedly did not present Brady an offer. And why wouldn't it at least entertain the idea of signing Brady? He is among the greatest ever to play the game, so you have to at least consider it.
In the end, the market for FA Tom Brady:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 20, 2020
— The #Bucs and #Chargers with offers.
— The #Patriots waiting to see if he wanted to return (he said goodbye instead).
— The #Raiders and #49ers briefly considering, but never making an offer.
— The #Titans going all in on Ryan Tannehill.
Brady is the guy who, three years ago, general manager John Lynch maybe half-jokingly inquired about with Bill Belichick, and was shot down.
Ultimately, the 49ers decided to remain on course and keep the band (mostly) together. Brady went on to sign a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, officially ending his time with the New England Patriots.
So how does Brady's new two-year deal compare to what the 49ers are going to pay Garoppolo over the same timeframe? Garoppolo is signed through the 2022 season, but we'll just look at the next two years to compare his contract to Brady's. The numbers below are from OverTheCap.com.
Garoppolo in 2020
Base Salary: $23.8 million (none guaranteed)
Prorated Bonus: $1.4 million
Roster Bonus (per-game): $800,000 total
Workout Bonus: $600,000
Salary-cap Hit: $26.6 million
Base Salary: $15 million guaranteed
Roster Bonus: $10 million guaranteed
Workout Bonus: $600,000
Salary-cap Hit: $25 million
Garoppolo in 2021
Base Salary: $24.1 million (none guaranteed)
Prorated Bonus: $1.4 million
Roster Bonus (per-game): $800,000 total
Workout Bonus: $600,000
Salary-cap Hit: $26.9 million
Brady in 2021
Base Salary: $15 million guaranteed
Roster Bonus: $10 million guaranteed
Workout Bonus: $600,000
Salary-cap Hit: $25 million
At $25 million per season, Brady becomes the 12th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, two spots behind Garoppolo and matching the annual salaries of Drew Brees, Derek Carr, and Philip Rivers.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Brady's contract also includes $9 million in incentives, evenly split between the two years. That brings the total value to $59 million, assuming the quarterback hits those incentives.
Updated: Tom Brady's contract details with Tampa, sources tell ESPN: 2 years, $50 million deal, all guaranteed, that also includes another $9 million in incentives - $4.5 million in incentives per year. The contract also prohibits tags and trades.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 20, 2020
It's also worth noting that all of Brady's salary is fully guaranteed, so it carries a hefty sum of potential dead money. The dead money on Garoppolo's deal from here on out is insignificant compared to the cap hit, basically making it year-to-year.
Of course, it is very possible that this will be the 42-year-old Brady's final NFL contract, and 28-year-old Garoppolo likely has many more years ahead of him even after his current deal is done.
