Three years later, the 49ers roster is still stacked. The team is coming off its third NFC title game appearance in four years and remains an attractive destination. Brady is retired, though. Of course, that's what we briefly thought last offseason.
So why won't the Brady-to-49ers talk die? You can thank Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. He recently speculated that the 49ers might be the perfect destination to convince the 45-year-old quarterback to end his retirement for the second consecutive offseason.
"Now, with Jimmy Garoppolo finally moving on and real questions about Lance and Purdy, why shouldn't the 49ers make a move for Brady?" Wrote Florio. "Their championship window remains open, even if they've been unable to fly through it. Brady could be the missing piece to the first San Francisco Super Bowl victory in 29 years — since the 29th Super Bowl."
Both Lance and Purdy are coming off significant injuries. Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury on September 18 but is expected to be a full participant during organized team activities (OTAs) in May. Purdy awaits his surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow sustained during the NFC Championship Game.
Brady likely remains retired this time. But one NFL columnist believes the 49ers should at least see if they can persuade the quarterback otherwise.
"We don't know what Purdy is going to be in '23, but we'll just do a year of Brady, and then we can go back to our model with [the] quarterback on a rookie deal and build around him," Mike Silver told Colin Cowherd on The Colin Cowherd Podcast. "I think, if you're the Niners, you ask Brady again. I think you let the dust settle for a while.
"It just makes too much sense now, especially Purdy, with the surgery being pushed back, which, A, is kind of a sign. Like this whole 'He's going to be back at six months' is not written in stone. B, it does push the timeline already very, very close, best case scenario, [to the start of the season]."
Purdy's surgery was scheduled for February 22 but was postponed due to inflammation remaining in the quarterback's arm. Dr. Keith Meister, who will perform the surgery, may opt for a hybrid procedure involving the reconstruction of the ligament with the internal brace, increasing that recovery time to seven to nine months, per Purdy.
"And they won't know until they get in whether they have to do a complete Tommy John surgery," Silver continued. "We're parsing terms, but [its] the kind of surgery that would probably knock him out for most or all of the year, or this one where they think it'll be six months. And, of course, you never know if it's going to be what it was before, but you hope so.
"I think they call Brady again, and if not, then you think about Aaron [Rodgers]. But I think you're looking more [at bringing in] a Jacoby Brissett or an Andy Dalton or a Matt Ryan or someone as a hedge, with Lance, as you try to get him to a point where he can be your guy."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Tom Pelissero: 49ers unlikely fazed by Brandon Aiyuk's antics
If Brandon Aiyuk's goal is to embarrass the San Francisco 49ers into releasing him, NFL insider Tom Pelissero doesn't believe the wide receiver is making any progress. Aiyuk has repeatedly criticized the 49ers, his agent, and even the NFL Players Association in recent weeks,... -
49ers already seeing the Mike Evans effect before the 2026 season
On March 12, 2026, the San Francisco 49ers stunned the NFL by prying Mike Evans away from the only franchise he had ever known. He may be 33 before the season-opener in Australia and heading into his last seasons, but that shouldn't take away the fact that the 49ers brought in... -
Why Hall of Fame predictions are tricky—and which 49ers are on track
In a recent ESPN article on soon-to-be market-setting contracts, Bill Barnwell calls Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson a "future Hall of Famer." While that might be true—Jackson is a superstar—that phrase is thrown around way too often. Before I get started, let me iterate:... -
Why 49ers fans shouldn't rely on PFF player grades
Pro Football Focus (PFF) has become the go-to grading source for everyone from print journalists to TV commentators to draft evaluators. I was once under the impression it was meaningful, that it was useful. Not anymore. For the last few years, I have read articles that give...