Shanahan enjoys meeting with ‘GOAT’ Brady before 49ers-Saints game

Shanahan enjoys meeting with ‘GOAT’ Brady before 49ers-Saints game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tom Brady stole the show before the 49ers’ 2024 NFL preseason win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback was in town as he prepares for his second career as a FOX Sports broadcaster.

While Brady wasn’t calling Sunday’s game, he was in another booth doing a practice broadcast with play-by-play host Kevin Burkhardt. Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez and Kristina Pink were on the actual broadcast.

After the 49ers’ 16-10 win, coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if he conducted a production meeting with Brady leading up to the game.

“Uh, I guess,” Shanahan told reporters. “Like, a pretend one. We did one with Mark and those guys too. It was good. Always fun to talk to the GOAT.”

Brady, a San Mateo native, was on the field before the game and chopped it up with former 49ers running back Frank Gore, current running back Christian McCaffrey and loosened up his shoulder by throwing around a football.

Shanahan and Brady have a recent history that pre-dates their production meeting this week.

With starting quarterback Brock Purdy recovering from elbow surgery following the 2023 NFC Championship Game, Shanahan admitted to former NBC Sports NFL writer Peter King that he pursued the idea of signing Brady.

Purdy told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner that Shanahan told him that he would be the starter to begin the next season unless Brady signed with the 49ers.

Ultimately Brady never signed with the 49ers or any other team for the 2023 NFL season.

A healthy Purdy produced a historic, NFL MVP-caliber season and guided the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII, where they sustained a heartbreaking overtime loss to Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs.

Now, a year later, Purdy and Shanahan don’t have worry about the idea of Brady joining the 49ers.

Just don’t tell 49ers fans that Shanahan called someone other than Joe Montana the “GOAT.”

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