Insider: 'I think' 49ers call Tom Brady about playing in 2023

Another NFL insider is linking the San Francisco 49ers with recently re-retired quarterback Tom Brady. 

According to David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle said during the latest edition of "The Colin Cowherd Podcast" he believes the Niners should reach out to Brady with 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy essentially sidelined indefinitely. 

"We don't know what Purdy is going to be in '23, but we'll just do a year of Brady, and then we can go back to our model with [the] quarterback on a rookie deal and build around him," Silver explained. "I think, if you're the Niners, you ask Brady again. I think you let the dust settle for a while."

Purdy was supposed to undergo surgery last week to address the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That procedure was postponed until some point in March, though, and it remains unclear if Purdy will be sidelined for at least six months or up to a full year if he needs what Silver referred to as "a complete Tommy John surgery." 

Silver said that contacting Brady "just makes too much sense now" for a 49ers team that's played in back-to-back NFC Championship Games and still doesn't know what it has in 2021 first-round draft pick Trey Lance. Lance is coming off multiple surgeries he required following the season-ending ankle injury he suffered in September. 

"I think they call Brady again," Silver said about the 49ers looking for a proven option over the likes of Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett, and Matt Ryan. Silver also named Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers as a possibility for San Francisco. 

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio generated headlines last week when he speculated that the 49ers could consider acquiring Brady in free agency as they did following the 2019 season before the future Hall of Famer signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady grew up a San Francisco fan in San Mateo, and his parents reportedly still live there. It is, however, assumed the 45-year-old meant it when he said on Feb. 1 he's now retired "for good."