49ers Tried Pursuing Tom Brady After He Retired From Buccaneers

The San Francisco 49ers made one final run at Tom Brady after he retired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2022 season.

Tom Brady could have unretired for a second time in his legendary career, as he was ready to mount for a return in the 2023 NFL season. Of course, he decided to remain retired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved on and signed Baker Mayfield in free agency to fill the void at quarterback.

While Mayfield, talent-wise, was in a tough position to succeed arguably the best quarterback of all time, he did a great job with the cards he was dealt. He led the team to the NFC Divisional Round after a 9-8 season.

Brady, should he have returned, could have opted to return for another franchise, too. According to ESPN, the San Francisco 49ers made one final run at the storied quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion.

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"Being doubted is nothing new for [Brock] Purdy, from youth football to college to this past offseason, when the Niners were ready for one final run at Tom Brady before guaranteeing Purdy the starting job in 2023," Nick Wagoner of ESPN reported. 

Again, both teams were fine without Brady, though it's hard to deny the fact that he could have elevated the ceiling of both of the franchises and could have changed the outlook of their season. Instead, the 49ers found out that Purdy is the real deal and the Buccaneers seem primed to move on, whether it be with Mayfield or through a full-on rebuild.

This season, Brady revealed he might have intended to unretire, as he was undecided. Instead, his friends forced his hand as they held a retirement party.

The only downside to 2023 was when I was about to unretire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand," Brady revealed on Instagram. 

With Brady being fully retired, it'll be interesting to see how the two teams fare over the next few seasons.

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