It’s well-known by now that the three-time league MVP grew up a fan of the San Francisco 49ers. Brady idolized fellow legendary quarterback Joe Montana, who guided San Fran to four Super bowl championships during his illustrious career.
But during a recent edition of his “Let’s Go!” podcast (h/t Austin Nivison of CBS), Brady stated that he won’t cheer for the 49ers ever again. The seven-time Super Bowl champion stated it’s because of the fact the 49ers passed on him six times during the 2000 NFL Draft:
“Even though it was my hometown team growing up and they passed on me six times, I still watch the Niners and those uniforms still bring back a lot of great childhood memories…They passed me up six times in 2000, so (expletive) them and that whole staff that kept me out because I had a chip on my shoulder for a long time.”
Brady spent his first 20 years with the New England Patriots (2000 to 2019), before moving over to Tampa Bay to play out his final three seasons with the Buccaneers.
There was speculation that Brady would join the 49ers in the 2020 offseason before he signed with the Buccaneers, but head coach Kyle Shanahan and company decided to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco was just coming off a trip to Super Bowl 54, after all.
Many wondered if the 49ers would have signed Brady had he decided to continue playing in 2023, given the uncertainty about Brock Purdy (he required surgery on a torn UCL). But Brady announced his second retirement on Feb. 1, and the 49ers have reaped the rewards in sticking with Purdy.