Patriots insider Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston made headlines on Tuesday by saying the San Francisco 49ers have a real interest in quarterback Tom Brady. Of course, he noted that the Niners aren't leading the potential race for the future Hall of Famer. That honor, according to Curran, belongs to the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans.
Fans questioned Curran's comments on SiriusXM because the reporter suggested that Patriots coach Bill Belichick might have implied that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo be given a future opportunity to return to New England while trading him to San Francisco.
Said Curran: "Could (Bill) Belichick say, 'Hey, why don't you just sign this guy when he becomes available for two years? I'll take Jimmy back. He'll get you the Super Bowl that you probably could have had this year if you had Brady, and we'll start fresh.'"
Curran also mentioned the relatively low hit in dead money the 49ers would absorb should they release Garoppolo after potentially signing Brady. That, too, was criticized because there is no reason for San Francisco to release Garoppolo when the quarterback has trade value.
Curran later joined 95.7 The Game and discussed his earlier comments, clarifying that the 49ers' involvement in a potential race for Brady is seen more as an afterthought behind teams like the Patriots and Titans. San Francisco has not emerged as a contender, according to the reporter. He adds that his opinion that head coach Kyle Shanahan might consider adding Brady is just that — an opinion.
RELATED Patriots insider believes Tom Brady to 49ers chatter is real
"I would put Tennessee as the favorite," Curran told Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto, and Matt Kolsky. "I would put New England behind them, then Tampa Bay. Then after that, I would say Las Vegas, then the Chargers. But if San Francisco wanted to throw its hat in the ring, I'd put them right there with Tennessee and New England."
Curran believes the 49ers would be appealing to Brady, assuming Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were even interested. He also feels Brady would be an upgrade over Garoppolo, even though the Patriots quarterback is 42 years old and in the twilight of his NFL career.
Curran feels the perception that Brady's play has fallen off has a lot to do with the lack of talent the quarterback had around him in New England this past season. He feels Brady is still "damn close" to his best, and San Francisco would not have lost the Super Bowl last month if he had been its quarterback.
"I really, truly think that Tom Brady would be an upgrade (over Garoppolo), and I believe Kyle Shanahan, in his heart of hearts, if you hit him with the truth serum, would say the exact same thing," adds Curran. "Tom Brady is better than Jimmy Garoppolo. I don't know for how long, but it doesn't have to be forever to win a Super Bowl with him."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Curran below. It begins at about the 17:00 mark.