John Lynch admits 49ers discussed pursuing Tom Brady

[Captain Fear]

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Jimmy Garoppolo 1, Tom Brady 1.

More than two years after the Patriots chose Brady over Garoppolo, the 49ers acknowledge that they chose Garoppolo over Brady.

G.M. John Lynch, appearing on Tuesday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show, via ESPN.com, admitted that the 49ers had internal discussions about potentially pursuing Brady.

“When you’re talking about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time with Tom Brady, of course you’re going to have some internal discussion,” Lynch said. “And then you hear rumors that hey, he’d like to come home, that kind of thing.”

Lynch’s comments come dangerously close to confirmation of a report from Chris Simms that Brady made it known that the 49ers were his first choice, and that the 49ers, after considering the situation carefully, decided to stick with Garoppolo.

“We’re always into getting better, so you always look at everything, especially a situation like that,” Lynch said. “But within a day or two, Kyle and I looked at each other and said, ‘You know what? We really like what we have in Jimmy. We love everything that he brings and we really believe it’s a long-term answer.’ I would tell you we’re more convinced than ever about who our quarterback is in Jimmy Garoppolo.”

Lynch also said that the 49ers kept Garoppolo in the loop as to their ponderings regarding Brady. The mere fact that they felt compelled to tell Garoppolo suggests that it was something more than a passing fancy, and that the 49ers gave it real consideration.

Likewise, Lynch admitted that the Brady consideration happened after both Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan made public commitments to Garoppolo at the Scouting Combine, which meshes completely with the broader timeline that applies to Brady making it known to the 49ers that he indeed wanted to come home.

“Kyle and I had just made a statement at the Combine, stating how much we believed in Jimmy,” Lynch said. “Then these rumors come out. . . . If you start chasing every rumor out there and making a statement on it, then you are doing that all the time. Yes, this was a bigger one, but the important thing was we had talked to Jimmy and told him exactly what I told you.”

But they also considered Brady; they didn’t slam the door on it. However long those deliberations lasted, it fits with Simms’ report that: (1) Brady wanted to play for his hometown team; (2) the 49ers considered it; and (3) the 49ers decided not to do it.

Whether that disclosure from Lynch will change the perception of those who have been shouting down the Brady-to-San-Fran chatter is a different issue. Regardless, Lynch has now admitted it.