As has been the case the past few seasons, Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo will try to lead their respective teams to NFC supremacy.
Before the 2022 NFL campaign kicked off, it looked like only one of those former New England Patriots quarterbacks would have that opportunity. Garoppolo entered the season as Trey Lance's backup, as the San Francisco 49ers handed the keys of the offense over to the sophomore signal-caller without a shadow of a doubt.
But with Lance now on the shelf due to a season-ending injury, Garoppolo is back under center in the Bay Area. On the latest episode of his "Let's Go!" podcast, Brady offered his thoughts on the 49ers' quarterback adjustment.
"(I'm) obviously very sorry for Trey," Brady said, as transcribed by NBC Sports. "And I've followed that all offseason with Jimmy, you know, kind of in his rehab and I've known Jimmy so well. I've known Jimmy since he was a rookie and Jimmy and I have been friends a long time. And just seeing him, how he's handled kind of his own adversity, is really gonna prepare him for what's ahead. It's interesting in the NFL, you know, when one door closes I think another one opens.
"I think Jimmy and everyone was set on him being somewhere else. And the reality is they found a place where they could agree on something that worked for both parties and sure enough the first game at it, Jimmy's out there playing with Trey getting injured. And as tough as it is for Trey to get injured, Jimmy steps in there and does a great job. So I think everyone is probably pretty happy with how things turned out from Jimmy's standpoint. Obviously not with Trey and the injury. But things have a crazy way of working out. ...You never know when that opportunity's gonna present itself and when you get it, you gotta go out and take advantage of it. So I was really happy for Jimmy to go in there and do a great job yesterday."
Lance's injury also set the stage for what's now a highly anticipated matchup. Brady and Garoppolo, who were teammates for three-plus seasons in Foxboro, never have gone toe-to-toe, but that will change Dec. 11 when the Bucs visit the Niners for a Week 14 matchup.
