Getty Tom Brady future remains uncertain in retirement.
Ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms, now an NFL analyst for NBC, sees Tom Brady‘s trip to San Francisco during the NFL Combine as less than coincidental.
Since Brady retired on Feb. 1, rumors of a comeback have increased — including him joining his hometown San Francisco 49ers. Brady visited his parents in San Francisco last week, which he told golfer and radio host Fred Couples about during a Sirius XM Radio interview on March 1. Simms, interviewing on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday, March 9, made the connection that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff stayed in San Francisco during the NFL Combine that week.
“I think it’s weird that he was in San Francisco last week, and [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan wasn’t at the combine,” Simms told Patrick, who chuckled. “And now, they’ve hired Brian Griese to be the quarterbacks coach. And I know you can say, ‘well it’s for [49ers quarterback] Trey Lance.’ You could also say it’s for Tom Brady.”
Griese played with Brady at Michigan in college from 1996 to 1997. Afterward, Griese played 11 seasons in the NFL, including three with the Bucs from 2004 to 2005 and then 2008.
Notably, Griese played for the Bucs when Shanahan worked in offensive quality control with the team from 2004 to 2005. Grisese also played for Shanahan’s father, Mike, in Denver from 1998 to 2002.
Simms, who played for the Bucs during Griese’s and Shanahan’s time there, touted his friendship with Shanahan on Patrick’s show. Simms said they’ve talked about Brady before, too.
“The first time around when it was between Tampa and New England and San Francisco, yes, I had conversations with my buddy about Tom Brady then,” Simms told Patrick. “Now, this time around? No, I have not.”
“This is just connecting dots first off,” Simms said. “I would say it’s 50-50.”
Just Golfing and Seeing Family?
During Brady’s interview on Sirius XM, Couples asked Brady “can you tell us where you’re going” before Brady’s lengthy answer on family plans and golf.
“I tell you, I wish I had a clear vision of what the future holds, but I think for me, there’s a lot of great things and a lot of great opportunities that I know I said right after football season I was looking forward to spending time with my family. And I’ve done that the last five weeks. And I know there’ll be a lot more of that, too,” Brady told Couples via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
This was Tom Brady’s response when asked about his future on Fred Couples’ SiriusXM radio show. Gentlemen start your speculation.
“So, you know, I like staying busy, that’s for sure. I played a little bit of golf, and I’m actually gonna see my parents tonight, which will be a real highlight for me on their turf. I’ll be sleeping in the same bed I slept at when I was a kid,” Brady added via Stroud.
Brady, who went on to tell Couples more about his visit, grew up in San Mateo, part of the San Francisco Bay Area and rooted for the 49ers as a child. His parents remained in the Bay Area since he went on to Michigan and the NFL.
“I don’t think my mom knows I’m coming home yet. So it’s just between my dad and I, it is a little bit of a surprise. So looking forward to that, looking forward to some golf in the next few days and some more family time, and then we’ll figure out where to go from there,” Brady told Couples via Stroud.
Simms Doesn’t Believe Brady ‘Closed the Door’ on a Comeback
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, who attended the NFL Combine, told media that Brady “slammed it shut” when it came to a potential comeback. Arians doubled down that the Bucs won’t trade Brady during an interview with NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano.
Simms doesn’t believe comeback part at least.
“I don’t think Brady has closed the door completely yet,” Simms told Patrick. “I’m not closing that door. A month-and-half ago, I would have said, ‘no, he’s done.’ But there’s just too much around it right now, and some of his comments make me believe that, yeah, it’s not totally shut yet.”
The Bucs still have Brady under contract through 2022 and plan to move him to the retired reserve list on June 1.
Bucs Hall of Famer, 49ers GM John Lynch Calls QB Situation ‘Fluid’
If Brady really does come out of retirement and go to San Francisco, the 49ers have to other starting-caliber quarterbacks to figure out what do with. The 49ers may trade Jimmy Garoppolo another team such as a the Bucs and move on to Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft.
Bucs Hall of Famer John Lynch, now the 49ers general manager, attended the NFL Combine March 1-7 while the 49ers coaches stayed home. Lynch left no doubt that he started his first day of the combine with Ash Wednesday Mass but left plenty of questions about the 49ers plans at quarterback.
John Lynch: QB situation is active, fluid for 49ers – NFL News t.co/TT02lRstOC
“That situation is active and fluid,” Lynch said on “Good Morning Football” via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “A lot of teams have interest in him. It’s pretty obvious that we put a lot into Trey Lance. And [we’re] loving the development of Trey.”