Tom Brady's first month of retirement wasn't treated with much seriousness from fans and analysts across the NFL. For the past month, there's certainly been no shortage of speculation about the legendary quarterback's future, and whether he's planning a comeback for the 2022 season.
The hypotheticals with Brady are endless, and even Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has said that the franchise will "leave the light on" for the 44-year-old veteran. Earlier in the week, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians told reporters it'd be "bad business" for them to accommodate Brady with a trade, if he wished to return. But former San Francisco 49ers lineman Alex Boone is bullish on the idea of a Brady homecoming in the Bay Area.
"You're really going to tell me that the guy who came in second in MVP voting and led the league in passing is just going to walk away and we're like, 'Hey, thanks for everything?'" Boone told The Zach Gelb Show on Thursday. "You know he's going somewhere. And [Arians] can say what he wants... The truth is, if the GOAT wants out, you've got to let him go. I'm predicting that if Brady plays next year, it's in San Francisco.
"Trey Lance is great -- a phenomenal, raw asset. Love everything about him. Kid gets the system down, he could be lethal. But what could you do in the meantime while he's understanding the system?... I love Jimmy Garoppolo -- is he a great quarterback? No, he's a good quarterback and an even better field general. Lance gives you so much more. But if you could get Brady to come out there, I mean, c'mon. Would you ever say no to that?..."
There's several moving parts to the Brady-49ers scenario. With one year still remaining on his contract, the Bucs own his playing rights, and so the team controls a potential market. As for the 49ers, they traded a hefty amount of draft capital -- three first-round picks -- to the Miami Dolphins last season in order to trade up and draft Lance, and Tampa would demand more assets.
Brady has walked away from the NFL while at the top of his game. He won a staggering seven Super Bowls, the most championships for a single player, along with five Super Bowl MVP awards. In 2021, Brad led the entire league in touchdowns (43) and passing yards (5,316), and helped Tampa Bay reach the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Among the NFL's all-time ranks, he's first in touchdowns (624), yards (84,250), and Super Bowl appearances (10).
The entire football conversation between Boone and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.