John Lynch Asked For Tom Brady In Trade; Bill Belichick Laughed, 'Basically Hung Up' The Phone
BOSTON (CBS) -- We live in a sports world where reports citing unnamed sources rule the day. It's one where no matter who the reporter may be on a certain story, there's always some room for doubt as to the truth and accuracy of a given story.
It's always good, then, to hear certain stories confirmed directly from the person involved. And in the case of quarterback trade talks between the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots, we now have such confirmation from San Francisco GM John Lynch.
The story in question involves some conversations Lynch had with Bill Belichick last year, dating back to the offseason. Lynch, in his first season at the helm of the Niners, wanted a franchise quarterback and believed Jimmy Garoppolo could be the guy. So Lynch called Belichick and asked for Garoppolo. When Belichick said that Garoppolo wasn't available, Lynch asked if Tom Brady might be available via trade.
On the podcast "Pardon My Take," Lynch explained how the situation played out with hosts "Big Cat" and "PFT Commenter."
Lynch: … the Garoppolo thing came out of nowhere.
PFT: Did you ask for Tom Brady?
Lynch: Um, I'm not supposed to talk about that. (Laughs)
BC: You did. You did, and that's OK. That's a bold move.
PFT: But I like that. It's your first year in the league as a general manager – why not just take shots? Worst thing that happens is they say no, right?
Lynch: Yeah, we were calling about Jimmy. And we did have that conversation and got quickly rebuffed. And I figured, what the heck, you gotta take your shot, right? You can't score if you don't shoot. So I had to summon up the courage and Bill laughed at me … and basically hung up on me. But hey, I took my shot.
It's a humorous scenario to envision, but it's one that may have showed just how serious the Niners were about acquiring a quarterback. Ultimately, they got the man they initially wanted in Garoppolo.
This was a story that had been reported before by Jay Glazer, but of course it hadn't been confirmed on the record until now.
