Tom Brady grew up a 49ers fan and probably always pictured himself taking snaps for his boyhood team. Could he get a chance to do just that before finally riding off into the sunset?
The stars appear as if they might be aligning for Brady to finish his legendary career in California. Brady is set to become a free agent after three successful seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And if the 45-year-old does want to keep playing, there might be a temporary opening in Santa Clara.
The 49ers, fresh off their NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, have emerged as the current betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook to sign Brady, per recently rereleased odds.
Here’s the top of the Brady betting board at DraftKings as of Tuesday morning.
For which NFL team will Tom Brady take his next regular-season snap?
San Francisco 49ers +150
Las Vegas Raiders +175
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +250
Miami Dolphins +750
New England Patriots +1200
Tennessee Titans +1400
New York Jets +1600
The 49ers make a lot of sense, and the possibility might be more viable now than it was just a few days ago. Not only did the clock strike midnight for Niners third-string quarterback Brock Purdy, but he reportedly tore the UCL in his throwing elbow Sunday in Philadelphia.
A six-month recovery could technically have him ready to go for the start of the 2023 season, but it probably wouldn’t take much to convince a team like San Francisco — with arguably the most talented roster in football — to take a one-year chance on Brady before turning things back over to Purdy in 2024 and beyond.
Another option: The 49ers could trade Purdy in the offseason, even though he’s currently damaged goods, and stay the path with Trey Lance. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was supposed to be the next guy for San Francisco, but a season-ending ankle injury thrust Jimmy Garoppolo back into action before he also went down to clear a path for Purdy.
The 49ers moved up in the 2021 draft from No. 12 to No. 3 to take Lance, sending the 12th pick, a 2022 first-round selection, 2022 third-rounder and another first-round pick in 2023 to Miami. That’s a massive investment that they can’t realistically recoup by trading Lance now, so maybe it would make sense to deal Purdy while his stock is relatively high, and Lance can wait for Brady to retire.
Either way, Brady to the 49ers does make the most sense of anything on the board given how close the Niners are to winning a Super Bowl. That they almost made it to Arizona with Purdy, a seventh-round rookie, is a validation of the process. Adding Brady to a team with a host of weapons would probably make the 49ers the Super Bowl favorite.
One thing is clear: If Brady and Aaron Rodgers (in his own limbo in Green Bay) both decide to play in 2023, this is going to be an absolutely wild offseason.
