Jimmy Garoppolo reveals why he wasn't close with Brady in New England: 'I didn't want to be a bother or a nuisance'

Before he was the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo spent the first three years of his career as the backup to the greatest quarterback of all time. What did Jimmy G think of his time with the New England Patriots? According to the man himself, it was nothing but good times.

"My time in New England was awesome," Garoppolo said on 49ers Talk, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. "I enjoyed every bit of it. It got me to where I'm at today."

And where he's at today is a pretty good place to be. Despite the injury-filled start to the season, the 49ers are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL, nearly winning a Super Bowl last season with Garoppolo under center. While there remain questions about the 28-year-old's ability to become an elite quarterback, he has been unquestionably solid since he was acquired by San Francisco before the 2017 season.

But the real question on everyone's mind is how Garoppolo got along with Tom Brady, as there are rumors that the two had a cordial-but-not-exactly-friendly relationship during their time together. Garoppolo acknowledged the two weren't close but said it had less to do with any sort of competition and more to do with him feeling intimidated to be the backup to such a legend.

"I didn't want to be a bother or a nuisance to him," Garoppolo said. "I just tried to pick up everything I could, just organically. I didn't want to be a pest and annoy him too much. But whenever I saw an opportunity to learn something new, see something he did, I tried to take advantage of it."