Simms: 49ers ‘are out’ of Brady pursuit
Tom Brady either will return to the New England Patriots or head to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the 49ers are not in the mix, according to NBC Sports’ analyst Chris Simms.
“The 49ers are out on Tom Brady,” Simms said Sunday in a NBC Sports video. “That is not going to happen. In my understanding, it was Tom Brady’s No. 1 choice, to go to San Francisco and be the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.”
While it’s not surprising that the San Mateo-born Brady may want a homecoming after 20 seasons with New England, Simms hinted that the 49ers may have considered such a free agency blockbuster.
“I don’t know what happened, but something happened over the last few days, to my understanding, to find out the 49ers are out on Tom Brady and they will be standing pat with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback,” said Simms, who’s been close friends with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan since their days at University of Texas teammates.
The Los Angeles Chargers are also considered a strong option for Brady, who’s won the Super Bowl in 6 of 9 trips.
The Tennessee Titans are also out on Brady after re-signing Ryan Tannehill on Sunday. No one knows how much the Titans were considering Brady, and the same goes for the 49ers.
The 49ers have not publicly wavered in their commitment to Garoppolo, who two years ago was signed to a five-year, $137.5 million contract.
In their last comments 2 1/2 weeks ago at the NFL scouting combine, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch both endorsed Garoppolo. The 28-yearold quarterback overcame 2018 knee reconstruction and started every game last season en route to the Super Bowl, where he struggled along with his teammates in a fourthquarter collapse.
“We’re extremely proud of Jimmy and committed to Jimmy going forward. He’s our guy,” Lynch said last month. “As I said from the day he walked into the building, he made us better, and we continue to feel that’s that case, and that’s the most exciting thing about him, the room for growth.
“He’s not come close to hitting the ceiling and 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 is up and that’s a good thing.”
TANNEHILL’S BIG DEAL >> The Tennessee Titans are keeping the quarterback that led them within a victory of the Super Bowl, agreeing to a four-year, $118 million extension with Tannehill.
“Tennessee let’s run it back,” Tannehill wrote on
Twitter.
After being traded by Miami to Tennessee last March, Tannehill went 9-4 overall as a starter, 7-3 over the final 10 games of the regular season after the Titans benched Marcus Mariota in mid-October. Tannehill led the NFL with a career-best 117.5 passer rating, the fourth highest in NFL history and a franchise best.
Tannehill threw for 2,742 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season. His 9.6 yards per attempt also led the league as another team record. He also set a team mark for completion percentage, completing 70.3% of his passes for third overall in the NFL. He also ran for 185 yards with four TDs on 43 carries.
Tannehill earned his first Pro Bowl nod and was The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
This extension now allows the Titans to either franchise tag NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry or sign him to an extension.
CAMPBELL TO RAVENS >> The Baltimore Ravens agreed to trade a fifthround draft pick in the upcoming draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars for fivetime Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
It appears to be a great value for the Ravens and a downright steal considering they’re giving up the 170th overall pick, which they got by trading place-kicker Kaare Vedvik to Minnesota last August. The Vikings cut Vedvik three weeks later.
The 33-year-old Campbell was due to earn $15 million in the final year of his contract this season and count $17.5 million against Jacksonville’s salary cap. The Jaguars will take on $2.5 million in dead money by trading Campbell.
Campbell has made three straight Pro Bowls with Jacksonville and was voted defensive MVP of the Pro Bowl in January. He also was recognized as the league’s man of the year for his charitable work. MCCOURTY BACK WITH PATRIOTS >> Safety Devin McCourty agreed to re-sign with the New England Patriots, he announced in a YouTube video with twin brother and teammate Jason McCourty. Details of the deal were not discussed, but NFL Network reports it is a two-year, $23 million deal with $17 million guaranteed.
Devin McCourty was set to become a free agent on Wednesday, but he will instead return to the team with whom he’s played 10 seasons since the Patriots made him a first-round pick in 2010.
TEXANS AGREE WITH ROBY >> The Houston Texans agreed to re-sign cornerback Bradley Roby to a three-year deal worth $36 million, according to multiple reports Sunday, keeping him off the free agent market. According to the Houston Chronicle, the deal includes $17 million in guarantees.