It’s been reported over the last couple of years that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to sign Tom Brady and draft Mac Jones, but faced opposition from others within the organization.
On Tuesday, Shanahan’s interest in both quarterbacks was confirmed by another reliable source.
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Former NFL executive Mike Lombardi, who worked as an assistant to Bill Belichick in both Cleveland and New England, said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Shanahan wanted to chase after both Brady and Jones. But ultimately, he settled on Trey Lance, whom San Francisco selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“A year earlier, Kyle wanted to sign Tom Brady, and the resistance factor within the building said, ‘No, no, no. We’re not doing that,’” said Lombardi. “So Kyle gets back, and he wants Mac Jones, and all of a sudden the Twitter momentum, ‘You can’t take Mac Jones there. He’s not good enough. You can’t hire Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ He gets worn down.”
The backstory about Shanahan’s reported interest in Brady and Jones is especially relevant this week, given Jimmy Garoppolo’s restructured contract. The 49ers have now made him the highest-paid backup in the NFL.
Lance started just two games last season, and was rather unimpressive, completing 57.7 percent of his passes. Still, the 49ers are poised to go with him as their Week 1 starter.
Brady was linked to the 49ers during his free agency in 2020, and again this offseason, when ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio predicted Brady would return and play in the Bay Area.
That did not come to fruition, of course.
Last season, there were numerous reports that Shanahan bowed to pressure and drafted the more athletic Lance over Jones, even though he wanted to do the opposite.
The Patriots traded Garoppolo to the 49ers five years ago, but the ripple effect of that deal is still being felt.