GM John Lynch: 49ers Considered Pursuing Tom Brady in Free Agency

As the world debated this winter if Tom Brady would leave the Patriots in free agency, the 49ers briefly considered if they should attempt to woo the veteran quarterback.

49ers general manager John Lynch appeared on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday and discussed previous rumors that the team might replace starter Jimmy Garoppolo with Brady.

"When you're talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time with Tom Brady, of course, you're going to have some internal discussion," Lynch said. "And then you hear rumors that hey, he'd like to come home, that kind of thing.

"So of course [coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and I have discussions. We're always into getting better, so you always look at everything, especially a situation like that. But within a day or two, Kyle and I looked at each other and said, 'You know what, we really like what we have in Jimmy.' We love everything that he brings and we really believe it's a long-term answer. I would tell you we're more convinced than ever about who our quarterback is in Jimmy Garoppolo."

Lynch added that he and Shanahan stayed in communication with Garoppolo while discussing potential Brady plans. Before Brady signed a two-year deal with the Buccaneers, many people speculated that he would like to return to his native California to end his NFL career. 

Garoppolo spent his first three seasons in the NFL as Brady's backup before the Patriots traded him to San Francisco in 2017. Last season, Garoppolo threw for 3,978 yards with a 69.1% completion percentage in the regular season before leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. 

Despite the criticism over Garoppolo's performance late in the Super Bowl, the 49ers believe there's plenty for him to build on.

"Every time, he puts [misses] on himself, and that's what gives us a lot of confidence," Lynch said. "We think there's places in his game where he can improve and the great thing is Jimmy embraces those, and we're gonna try to get the best out of him. And we think he's already been tremendous, so I would leave it with that. We're as convicted as ever about him being our quarterback and leading this organization into the future."