To be fair, Tom Brady brought this on himself.
Less than a week after announcing his NFL retirement on social media, the 44-year-old quarterback sparked speculation about a potential comeback with his comments to Jim Gray on the "Let's Go!" podcast.
"You never say never," Brady told Gray. "At the same time I know that I'm very -- I feel very good about my decision. I don't know how I'll feel six months from now."
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There's no doubt Brady can still play at a high level. He's a legitimate 2021 NFL MVP candidate after leading the league in passing yards and touchdown passes. But where would the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB want to play if he decides to run it back for a 23rd season?
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Brady's hometown San Francisco 49ers are an intriguing destination, and former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak floated a very interesting scenario involving Brady and former New England backup Jimmy Garoppolo Tuesday on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand."
"I just think that's what Brady is focused on. He's been focused on it for two years," Zolak said of Brady, a native of San Mateo, Calif., returning to the Bay Area to play for the 49ers. "They've got to deal Jimmy, and he knows that (Trey) Lance isn't ready, and he knows that team is built to win now. That's attractive to him."
The 49ers are widely expected to trade Garoppolo after falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, but to Zolak's point, Trey Lance doesn't seem ready to take the reins in San Francisco. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft appeared in just six games this season and played more than 10 snaps in only three of those contests while completing 57.7% of his passes.
But how would a Garoppolo-Brady trade work if the latter is retired (for now)? Brady is technically under contract with the Bucs for the 2022 season -- most retirements don't get processed until the new league year -- so San Francisco could trade for Brady's rights, meaning whenever the QB decides to come back, he'd be a member of the Niners.
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"If you trade Jimmy Garoppolo to Tampa Bay for the rights to Tom Brady and then let him decide when he's ready to go, you become an instant contender," Zolak added.
This is all just speculation for now: Brady may decide to stay retired, and the Niners may want a known commodity for Garoppolo instead of gambling on a Brady comeback. But it'd be a pretty fascinating gamble -- with a potentially massive payoff for both the Niners and Brady.