Tom Brady is someone who remains the most desirable among all NFL teams — whether they like him or not. The only period when the NFL GOAT was a free agent had everything go berserk. After his talks with the Raiders blew up, he went off to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, another franchise had eyes on The Pharaoh’s services. But how did that go?

After exiting the New England Patriots in 2020, Tom Brady became an unrestricted free agent. Many franchises tried to swoop in to benefit from his services. The Chargers, Titans, and the Buccaneers were among the priorities in the line for his next spot. However, Brady heading home to the San Francisco Bay Area also caught some traction.

Independent NFL reporter Dove Kleiman mentioned, “During the 2020 free-agency, Kyle Shanahan wanted [the 49ers] to sign then free-agent QB Tom Brady. But Shanahan was eventually talked out of it by others,”

During a SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio appearance, NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran informed host Adam Schein that the 49ers are “closing hard on the outside” in the chase. He also said both the Niners and Brady could have a potential fix.

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Tom Brady, 45, grew up in San Mateo, California, roughly 20 miles south of San Francisco. He grew up a 49ers fan, attending home games regularly as a child. The GOAT admired the legendary Joe Montana growing up. Moreover, as per Bleacher Report, Brady contacted ex-teammate and then-49ers receivers coach Wes Welker. Brady told Welker that if the 49ers wanted him, he would sign with them.

What was the biggest obstacle for Tom Brady heading to San Francisco?

The biggest homecoming would have been TB12 to San Francisco. Despite Kyle Shanahan being eased off, there was a second roadblock in Brady’s path to the 49ers. That would be Jimmy Garoppolo, his former fallback in the Patriots.

SI.com’s Seth Wickersham also revealed that head coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the offensive coaching staff reviewed all of Brady’s 2019 game film. They determined that, although he was grander than Garoppolo, he wasn’t significantly better enough to warrant moving on from the younger Jimmy G following a Super Bowl appearance. But now, TB12 is back in Tampa Bay and is once again among the leading candidates for a championship.

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