The 49ers reportedly will not pursue Tom Brady in free agency.
Chris Simms, an NBC Sports NFL analyst and longtime friend of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, reported Sunday that Brady will choose between returning to the New England Patriots and signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Simms said it was his understanding that the 49ers were Brady's first choice, but the 49ers will be "standing pat with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback."
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The Tennessee Titans were viewed as a favorite to sign Brady, but the club on Sunday reached a multi-year agreement on a lucrative contract extension with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the club announced on Sunday.
The 49ers had been rumored and speculated in recent weeks as a possible landing spot for Brady, 42, a six-time Super Bowl champion and 14-time Pro Bowl player.
Brady is a native of San Mateo and grew up as a fan of the 49ers. As a child, he was in the stands at Candlestick Park for the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 10, 1982, when Dwight Clark made "The Catch."
The 49ers have publicly stated their support for Garoppolo, who started every game at quarterback last season en route to the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers
“We’re extremely proud of Jimmy and committed to Jimmy moving forward,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said last month at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He’s our guy.”
Lynch added, “He has not come close to hitting the ceiling. I think the room for growth, the more experience he gets in this system, the more experience he gets playing, in general, we think the arrow’s up, and that’s a good thing.”
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Garoppolo, 28, started all 16 regular-season games and three games in the postseason. He completed 69.1 percent of his pass attempts for 3,978 yards (fourth-most in franchise history) with 27 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
In the postseason, Garoppolo completed 37 of 58 pass attempts (63.8 percent) for 427 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.