John Lynch Reveals 49ers Tried to Trade for Tom Brady and the Patriots Should Regret Not Doing it

Remember when the San Francisco 49ers took then-backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo off the hands of the New England Patriots for a second-round pick in a stunning deal at the 2018 trade deadline?

Well, as it turns out, 49ers general manager John Lynch also attempted to pry Tom Brady from Foxborough, which he revealed on Friday.

"We were calling about Jimmy and we did have that conversation (about Brady) and got quickly rebuffed," Lynch revealed in an interview on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast. "I figured, 'What the heck, you gotta take your shot, right? You can't score if you don't shoot.' I had to summon up the courage and Bill (Belichick) laughed at me and basically hung up on me."

Is this further proof the Pats should've made the deal and went forward with Jimmy G? Some are still mystified as to why the Patriots didn't say yes to moving Brady.

What was Belichick thinking by swiftly dismissing the notion of dealing Brady? Sure, New England won another Super Bowl thanks to Belichick's stubbornness, but TB12 was 41 at the time. The Patriots likely would have gotten a haul for Brady and wouldn't have had an issue transitioning to Garoppolo.

Are we forgetting that he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first full season as the starter?

Now, Belichick is left with a gaping hole at quarterback to fill after Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Patriots' window to win is closing each day another QB finds a home in free agency. If Belichick has any intention on competing in 2020, he'll likely have to trade for Cam Newton, whose health has betrayed him in each of the last two seasons.

Any Patriots fan will tell you that the team holding on to Brady was worth another world championship. However, it's impossible to deny that Belichick and Co. set New England back a few years by refusing to pull the trigger with San Francisco in 2018.