The San Francisco 49ers are officially in offseason mode after their 31-7 NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and enter it with unfortunate news, as quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a torn UCL, which will keep him out for at least six months, pending on a choice for surgery.
That leaves the 49ers with quarterback Trey Lance as their current top quarterback option heading into the offseason, who is progressing through his recovery from a torn ACL.
However, there is another domino that must be addressed: the free agency of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who has long been connected to the San Francisco 49ers, given the hometown connection.
With the dots potentially aligning, should the 49ers sign Brady to a short-term deal to potentially finish his career where he grew up?
Brady suitors
Tom Brady should undoubtedly receive interest on the open market with the number of lingering quarterback situations, paired with a number of teams looking to remain competitive with their current rosters.
However, it's tough to argue that any of those teams would provide Brady with the core group of weapons that the 49ers currently possess, which arguably would be the best skill position class he has played with in his career.
Brady could enter 2023 with an arsenal of receivers that could help him with his quick-game approach, while also allowing him to showcase the entirety of his skillset with a better rushing attack in San Francisco and a better offensive scheme.
But, the biggest question between Brady and the 49ers isn't the fit or the interest. It's the money.
Brady contract
Tom Brady has played at a high level for the entirety of his career. It's why he should be in high demand, despite a down year due to the circumstances around his team.
And, that's also why he won't come cheap.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport joined the Murph and Mac show on Monday morning, acknowledging a potential interest between Brady and the 49ers, but admitting that it would come at a cost, potentially even the $30 million that has been his baseline in recent years.
"If Tom Brady tells the 49ers, 'I would only want to be with you guys,' they would probably have to consider it," Rapoport continued. "I don't know that that would be their number one option. They have someone who they really like as a potential starter who is extremely cheap. Tom Brady typically has played for $30 million the last couple of years. My guess is that is about what it would [cost the 49ers]. He's not going to come back for a $1 million minimum salary. He's just not. He's never been willing to do that, and he's just not."
Brady's desire for a larger contract likely means that the 49ers would have to make tough decisions on several key free agents, while moving money around into future years, which hasn't been a choice they've been willing to make due to the ramifications that other teams have faced when doing so.
If Brady were to take a cheaper deal to return to his hometown, then the decision could become more intriguing, but the 49ers have built their roster around the perception that they'd carry a rookie salary, not a $30 million salary at quarterback, which has been why they saw such success in 2022.
At the moment, it appears more likely, and potentially smarter financially, to pivot on a Brady reunion in the Bay Area, and instead focus on Brock Purdy and Trey Lance at the quarterback position, while creating the strongest possible roster around them while the quarterbacks are still on their
rookie contracts.
With Brock Purdy's recent injury news, it appears that Lance will head into the offseason as the starter for the second consecutive year, given that he will be the only healthy option at the time.
However, with Purdy's injury and unknown timetable, the 49ers do need to insulate the position and provide a viable backup at quarterback, which there should be a market for in free agency, until the rookie quarterback is able to return to the fold.
Regardless, the extremely unfortunate injury to Purdy should set up for another intensive offseason of quarterback rumors as the 49ers look to avenge yet another NFC Championship game loss.
