Arik Armstead on Tom Brady to 49ers rumors: ‘We have our quarterback’

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead joined The Jim Rome Show and chatted about the rumors of Tom Brady coming to the Niners, DeForest Buckner leaving and more.

One of the side effects of the San Francisco 49ers re-signing defensive end Arik Armstead was the team would then have to trade the 2018 Pro Bowler, DeForest Buckner, to the Indianapolis Colts to clear cap space and ensure Armstead could remain with the Niners for a long time.

Immediately after Armstead signed his new five-year deal, speculation arose San Francisco could move Buckner to clear more than $12 million in cap space.

Turns out, that’s what happened.

The two enjoyed four years together with the 49ers and also played alongside each other at the University of Oregon before both went pro and were selected by San Francisco in back-to-back NFL Drafts.

In a way, it was bittersweet for Armstead, who joined The Jim Rome Show this week to talk about his new deal, Buckner leaving and a notable rumor swirling around the team leading up to NFL free agency.

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“[It was] super tough,” Armstead admitted about the Buckner trade. “It was a shock to me, something I didn’t expect. We have grown super comfortable playing together for, like, eight years at that point. I’m happy to see him get what he deserves, monetarily. I definitely wish it was with us.”

After being traded, Buckner subsequently agreed to a new deal in Indianapolis that would pay him an average of $21 million annually, making him the second-highest paid defensive tackle behind the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald.

The deal Arik Armstead received, meanwhile, is worth an average of $17 million annually.

Interestingly enough, though, the Buckner trade wasn’t the biggest offseason storyline the 49ers dealt with.

Once quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots appeared destined for a split, rumors swirled about the future Hall of Famer coming to his boyhood team, San Francisco, essentially replacing Jimmy Garoppolo under center.

Eventually, Brady signed on as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, putting to bed any thoughts the 49ers would be major players.

“I thought it was an interesting story,” Armstead continued when asked about the Brady-to-San Francisco rumors. “A lot of people would pick up on [it] and be entertained by. I didn’t see it really as a reality. I just saw it as an interesting story: [Brady] being from the Bay Area, him making a return. It would have been a crazy story, but that’s all I saw it as: entertaining fans and people through the media.”

In a post-Brady-Patriots-split article by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, the report stated San Francisco considered the quarterback, but ultimately elected to pass on Brady.

Because of this, and perhaps it never being in doubt, Jimmy G will remain under center for the Niners for the foreseeable future.

According to Arik Armstead, the outcome was never in doubt.

“We have our quarterback,” Armstead concluded. “He’s our guy, he’s led our team and turned our organization around.”