After losing his job to second-year quarterback Trey Lance earlier this offseason, veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo is already back under center for the San Francisco 49ers.
Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury this past Sunday, forcing Garoppolo to step up during the Niners’ 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Tom Brady — Jimmy G’s former veteran mentor with the New England Patriots — was asked about this development on Monday.
“[I’m] obviously very sorry for Trey [Lance],” Brady said on SiriusXM podcast Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray. “And I’ve followed that all offseason with Jimmy, you know, kind of in his rehab and I’ve known Jimmy so well. I’ve known Jimmy since he was a rookie and Jimmy and I have been friends a long time. And just seeing him, how he’s handled kind of his own adversity, is really gonna prepare him for what’s ahead. It’s interesting in the NFL, you know, when one door closes I think another one opens.”
The Niners granted Garoppolo permission to seek a trade earlier this offseason, but no deal ever materialized.
“I think Jimmy and everyone was set on him being somewhere else,” Brady added. “And the reality is they found a place where they could agree on something that worked for both parties and sure enough the first game at it, Jimmy’s out there playing with Trey getting injured. And as tough as it is for Trey to get injured, Jimmy steps in there and does a great job. So I think everyone is probably pretty happy with how things turned out from Jimmy’s standpoint. Obviously not with Trey and the injury. But things have a crazy way of working out. … You never know when that opportunity’s gonna present itself and when you get it, you gotta go out and take advantage of it. So I was really happy for Jimmy to go in there and do a great job yesterday.”
Brady’s Buccaneers and Garoppolo’s 49ers will face off against each other in a Week 14 matchup at Levi’s Stadium.