Wednesday was a busy day for former New England Patriots quarterbacks, as Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo were both the primary focus of some NFL rumors. Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht stated that extending Tom Brady was “a possibility”, and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times added that it was “a probability”. John Lynch, meanwhile, committed to Garoppolo as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
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NFL Rumors: Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo Steal Headlines
Tom Brady has already defeated Father Time, and the Buccaneers are not betting against the ageless wonder. Brady is currently under contract through his age-44 season, and the seven-time Super Bowl champion has publicly stated that he wants to play until at least 45. Signing a one-year extension would allow him to reach that goal, and it certainly looks like he’ll be able to keep going after that, if he so desires.
In addition to securing their quarterback position for another season, extending Tom Brady could also clear up some cap space. According to Spotrac, the Buccaneers could clear up as much as $10 million in 2021 cap space if they sign Brady to a two-year, $60 million extension. With Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, and Shaq Barrett all set to hit the open market, it’s safe to say that Tampa Bay will need all the spending money they can get in the upcoming season.
Brady, of course, is coming off of yet another fantastic season in a career full of them. Despite switching teams for the first time in his 20-year career, the three-time league MVP finished the year completing 65.7% of his passes for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He capped this phenomenal season off by winning Super Bowl LV, and did it all while playing on a knee that required offseason surgery.
Jimmy Garoppolo Locked In As San Francisco 49ers Starting Quarterback
Quarterbacks have been on the move this offseason, and Jimmy Garoppolo has had one of the hottest seats in the league. However, it looks like the former second-round pick will remain in San Francisco for at least one more season.
While appearing on the Eye Test for Two podcast, Lynch said that there was no doubt that Garoppolo would be under center for the 49ers in Week 1. Lynch has made similar statements in the past, but this was the first time he fully committed to Garoppolo for the upcoming seasons.
Throughout the course of the offseason, the 49ers had been linked to quarterbacks Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, and Deshaun Watson. San Francisco lost out to the Los Angeles Rams with Stafford, but Cousins and Watson are still with their 2020 organizations. Head coach Kyle Shanahan worked with Cousins in Washington, but apparently trade talks never heated up too much. Watson is unquestionably the best quarterback of the bunch, but the Houston Texans refuse to deal him.
Garoppolo is coming off yet another injury-plagued campaign. The quarterback appeared in just six games, completing 67.1% of his passes for 1,096 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions. This has been a recurring theme for Garoppolo, as he only has one full 16-game season in his seven-year career. Of course, that was the season San Francisco made it to Super Bowl LIV, so the 49ers are clearly good enough to win with Garoppolo.
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