Originally posted by TheGore49er:
I don't think they had much of a choice with not trading him. He was drafted in 2014, which would've made him a FA in 2018. They dont trade him, they lose him for nothing possibly. Other option is franchise tag him 2 years in a row and pay over 60 mil for a back up. And thats without knowing how bad Brady was gonna be this year.
They did have a choice, though.
Kraft pulled rank on Belichik. It worked out with another title, but Bill knew he had an opportunity for more long term with Jimmy G. Left to his own decisions Bill would have jettisoned Brady ala the "better to get rid of them a year too early than a year too late" philosophy. The 49ers benefited from Kraft's sentimentality.