Chris Simms Says 49ers Passed on Tom Brady Despite Being His First Choice

The ever-evolving saga of Tom Brady's free agency has just taken an intriguing twist.

According to NFL insider Chris Simms, the New England Patriots legend had his heart set on joining the San Francisco 49ers, but they chose not to pursue him.

Brady grew up in California as a die-hard 49ers fan, so it's not entirely surprising that he reportedly had interest in joining the team.

It's also not surprising that the 49ers chose against bringing him in. It just wouldn't have made any sense. Brady is heading into his age-43 season, making him a less-than-ideal option for a team that already has a franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo locked up to a multi-year deal.

He wouldn't have been that much of an upgrade over Garoppolo either, at least from a statistical stand point. Garoppolo's 102 passer rating was far better than Brady's 88, and he completed 69.1% of his passes to Brady's 60.9%.

The thought of having Brady spend the final years of his career with the team he grew up rooting for was nice, but the success of his former backup out in San Francisco has left him with one less option to pick from this offseason.