Why did Bill Belichick rate Jimmy Garoppolo higher than Tom Brady in 2013?

New England Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo (left), Tom Brady (right)

The ESPN+ documentary series "Man in the Arena", featuring Tom Brady's Super Bowl journey, has been very popular and eye-opening at the same time. Fans get an upclose look into what was really happening when the New England Patriots were building a dynasty during the early 2000s through first-hand accounts.

On the most recent episode this week, Tom Brady talked about the Patriots drafting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Brady said that, at first, he didn't really think anything about it, other than embracing Garoppolo as his teammate.

“We drafted Jimmy, and I just thought, just like any other time, you embrace him, and they’re your teammate. Now, we drafted Jimmy higher. Coach Belichick referenced my age to me, referenced it to media. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘What are you talking about?’ 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. Of course, for me, I was just like, I don’t care about any of those things.”

To be clear, Tom Brady was clearly not contemplating retirement back in 2014, as he is still going strong at the age of 44 in 2021.

Why did Bill Belichick rank Jimmy Garoppolo higher than Tom Brady?

"Coach Belichick referenced my age to me, referenced it to media. In my mind, I was thinking, 'What are you talking about?' "

In "Man in the Arena," Tom Brady shares how he really felt about the Patriots drafting Jimmy Garoppolo. wp.me/pch2rN-5TLR https://t.co/7naRG4uxHj

When the New England Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the round, it caught Tom Brady off-guard because of how high of a draft pick the team used on a backup quarterback. When Bill Belichick was asked why he drafted Garoppolo, he pointed out Brady's age, which was 36 at the time. Belichick alluded to the fact that NFL quarterbacks usually see a decline in performance, so essentially, the Patriots were preparing for life after Brady.

At 44 years old, Tom Brady leads the #NFL in completions, attempts, passing yards and touchdown passes.

It’s the first time he’s led all four categories in his career. #GoBucs https://t.co/ORmbqksok6

It's also possible that, after a lackluster 2013 season, Belichick was already seeing a possible decline in Brady's play. While Belichick saw Garoppolo as the successor because of Brady's age, Brady himself thought that he was getting better with age. The quarterback went on to talk about how he was learning how to implement a healthier lifestyle and age in a positive way.

"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."

The thought behind Jimmy Garoppolo's draft pick didn't come to fruition. The only time he started, instead of Brady, was when Brady was suspended for the infamous "inflate gate" scandal.

Jimmy Garoppolo was then traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. Brady has since moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and defied his age while winning his 7th Super Bowl last season with his new team.