Tom Brady Declares No Allegiance to 49ers: 'You Chose a Goat Farmer Over Me’

You could say Tom Brady took the San Francisco 49ers' decision to pass over him in the 2000 NFL Draft personally. 

In the most recent edition of "Storytime with Tom Brady," the seven-time Super Bowl winner shared that he doesn't carry any fuzzy or warm feeling toward the team he rooted for as a kid growing up in San Mateo, California. 

"You know, my allegiance to the Niners left when they skipped over me six times in the 2000 draft," Brady said. "Every time I played the Niners, I just wanted to make sure that the coaches who were out there at the time that you chose a goat farmer over me — and I never forgot that." 

The 49ers infamously took Hofstra quarterback Giovanni Carmazzi early in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft, selecting him 134 picks before the New England Patriots took Tom Brady with the 199th overall pick. Carmazzi quickly flamed out with the 49ers, spending just two years with the organization and never playing in a regular-season game. His playing career ended by 2006, and he became a farmer following his retirement from football.

By the time Carmazzi became a farmer, Brady had already racked up three Super Bowl titles, creating an interesting — if not frustrating — what if for the 49ers. As Brady won three more Super Bowls with the Patriots, the 49ers actually had a chance at redemption with Brady and could've signed him when he became a free agent in 2020. However, after reportedly having an internal debate, the 49ers stuck with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback, letting Brady sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The 49ers wound up watching Brady win another Super Bowl somewhere else as a result of that decision. But they tried to add Brady again in 2023, with Brock Purdy's status questionable