HBO teased its upcoming episode of The Shop with a series of clips, but one clip in particular has captured people’s attention.
Tom Brady talks about going through free agency last year, and his reaction to hearing about an unidentified organization choosing their current quarterback over him. “One of the teams, and they weren’t interested at the very end,” Brady said. “I was thinking, ‘You’re sticking with that motherfucker?’” Check it out up top.
After spending two decades with the New England Patriots, Brady opted to test the free agent market for the first time in his NFL career. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported at the time that there were only three teams realistically in the running for the 43-year-old’s services: the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Around the same time that Brady was going through the free agency process, the Chargers had decided to part ways with their starting quarterback over the last 16 years, Philip Rivers, leaving them in a state of limbo. Since Brady ultimately chose to sign with the Buccaneers, this leads to many to believe that he’s talking about the 49ers, and the motherfucker quite possibly being his former Patriots teammate and backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
In 2017, Garoppolo was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers for a 2018 second-rounder. An ESPN report alleges tension between Jimmy G and Brady, who was given a vote of confidence by the organization when they shipped Garoppolo after he coincidentally met with team owner Robert Kraft.
The Buccaneers were rewarded for their belief in Brady with their second title in franchise history, while the 49ers moved up in the draft in March and drafted Trey Lance of North Dakota State to be their franchise quarterback.
