Tom Brady shares his true feelings on Patriots drafting Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014
Tom Brady was feeling a rollercoaster of emotions when the New England Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014. Head coach Bill Belichick used a second-round pick on the Eastern Illinois quarterback during the NFL Draft, a decision that surprised many, including 36-year-old Brady. The narrative during the 2014 season suggested Brady was past his prime, while the Patriots reportedly believed it was the right time to pick Garoppolo as his potential successor. Patriots' decision reportedly irked Brady, who had not anticipated the move and felt that he could still deliver on the grandest stage of all.
How did Tom Brady feel about Patriots' Jimmy Garoppolo move?
Brady wasn't going to be bogged down by the organization and Belichick's decision to get their hands on young talent, but he did express disagreement over conversations around his age.
"Coach Belichick is rebuilding the Patriots and he's doing it with a rookie QB. This is one of Belichick's best coaching jobs." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/oVQG0zJS5k
During Tuesday's episode of Man in the Arena, Brady shared his true feelings about Belichick favoring Garoppolo over him. He said:
“We drafted Jimmy, and I just thought, like every other time, you embrace them, they’re you’re teammate. Now, we drafted Jimmy higher. Coach Belichick referenced my age to me, referenced it to the media. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘What are you talking about?'”
The two were at a crossroads and they had their own reasons. While Brady felt disrespected despite winning three Super Bowls at the time, Belichick was thinking about the future of the franchise.
“I think he was just referencing, well, not many quarterbacks have ever played and been successful late in their career, and that’s just a fact," Brady added. "Of course, for me, I was just like, I don’t care about any of those things."
Regardless of what the two were thinking, that move did spark them to prove a point to each other in hindsight. Brady went on to lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl the following season and added two more Super Bowl rings in New England's trophy cabinet before leaving to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he claimed his seventh Lombardi Trophy.
In his documentary, Brady made a brilliant point about how he was actively taking care of himself to prolong his career without thinking about age in a traditional sense. He did age like a fine wine. He said:
“From the team standpoint, again, you’re always looking to: what’s going to happen if Tom retires? What’s going to happen if Tom isn’t the player he is?” “I never thought about those things, because I didn’t think of myself as aging in a traditional way. I was really beginning to understand how to take care of myself. I was really beginning to understand the game, how to study, how to be more efficient. I was really beginning to understand how to train, how to communicate more effectively with my teammates."
As for Garoppolo, it never really clicked for him in New England as Brady's backup. He was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in 2017. Garoppolo did prove his worth at 49ers by guiding them to Super Bowl LIV, but that wasn't enough for coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers drafted the highly-rated quarterback Trey Lance after trading up in the 2021 NFL Draft.
What a throw by Mac Jones 🤩🔥 https://t.co/U49zzBqoZF
In the end, Brady had the last laugh. Meanwhile, Belichick is now nurturing another young talent in Mac Jones.