The 49ers are more familiar with the quarterback shuffle than most. In 2022 alone, they started three different players under center en route to an NFC title bid. With both Brock Purdy and Trey Lance coming off injury, they could rotate QBs once again in 2023. But could one of those QBs be ... Tom Brady? General manager John Lynch joked about the possibility Wednesday, telling reporters he contacted Brady after his recent retirement, and that San Francisco may add a veteran QB this offseason.
"I sent him a text when he retired," Lynch said of Brady, per the Tampa Bay Times. "He was a teammate for about three weeks at one point (in 2008), so I sent him a text, just (saying) congratulations on one of the greatest careers that I've ever seen in any sport, and I wished him the best. So, we'll leave it at that."
The comments came after an admission that the 49ers could seek additional QB help in free agency. Purdy was a revelation off the bench late in 2022, showcasing veteran-level poise in a 7-1 run as starter, but he's facing an ambiguous timetable for recovery from elbow surgery. Lance, meanwhile, was drafted No. 3 overall just two years ago, but he's made just four career starts, missing almost all of the 2022 season with an ankle injury. Veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo is also scheduled to hit free agency, leaving San Francisco without a proven answer under center going into the spring.
Brady, 45, insisted in February that he's now retired "for good." But he's been linked to San Francisco for years. Growing up a 49ers fan, the longtime Patriots star was also briefly on Lynch's radar in 2020, when Brady tested free agency and ultimately landed with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht didn't rule out Brady making a second annual return from retirement, for what it's worth, telling reporters Wednesday he'd leave a "flashlight" on at Bucs facilities if the QB changes his mind.
