Tom Brady may be retired, but one of his former coaches believes the legendary quarterback could still compete at an elite level, given the right circumstances.
During an appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was asked where Brady would rank among current NFL quarterbacks if he hypothetically joined the San Francisco 49ers this season.
Weis speculated that even at 47 years old, Brady could still be a “top 10 to top five” quarterback with the 49ers’ strong supporting cast.
“If he were coming back with the Patriots, I’d probably say more middle of the pack,” Weis noted, suggesting that Brady’s performance would be more dependent on the talent surrounding him.
Despite these musings, Weis doesn’t expect to see Brady return to the field. He joked that Brady’s children would “disown” him if he were to unretire once more.
Rumors of Brady joining the 49ers have circulated for years.
In 2020, it was reported that the seven-time Super Bowl champion was interested in signing with his hometown team, but the 49ers opted to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady’s former understudy in New England.
Earlier this year, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he was seriously considering bringing in Brady for the 2023 season while young quarterback Brock Purdy recovered from elbow surgery.
“If Tom Brady wanted to come here and start for one year, that’s the only way you’re not starting when you’re healthy this year,” Shanahan recalled telling Purdy.
“That’s pretty cool. I wanted to assure him, ‘Don’t worry. You’re our guy. But how cool would it be if Tom Brady would be the quarterback here for one season? How cool would it be for you to learn from him?'”
However, Purdy’s impressive performance last season – where he led the 49ers to an NFC title with a league-best 113.0 quarterback rating and 9.6 yards per pass attempt – has firmly established him as the team’s franchise quarterback.
Surrounded by weapons like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk (for now), Purdy has thrived in San Francisco’s dynamic offense.
While it’s intriguing to imagine what Brady could accomplish with such a talented roster, he has instead transitioned to a new role as FOX Sports’ lead NFL analyst.
Having said that, he reportedly still has frequent throwing sessions….
Where do you think Brady would rank in the league if he were to join a team as talented as the 49ers?
Now, I have to ask: Is Brady indeed retired for good???