The San Francisco 49ers inquired about the availability of Tom Brady when initially contacting the New England Patriots about a tarde.

John Lynch reportedly asked Bill Belichick if he'd trade Brady, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brady is 40 years old and the 49ers are in the middle of a rebuild.

The 49ers ultimately agreed to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo.

AJ McCarron has filed a grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals in order to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018.

The ruling could determine whether the Cleveland Browns can sign McCarron this offseason without giving compensation to the Bengals.

The Browns agreed to send second- and third-round picks to the Bengals in a trade that would have sent McCarron to Cleveland on Tuesday. The trade was rejected by the NFL after the paperwork was submitted past the trade deadline.

Cincinnati likely would place a first-round tender on McCarron as a restricted free agent, which would make it difficult for him sign an offer sheet.

The San Francisco 49ers aren't necessarily committed to signing Jimmy Garoppolo to a long-term contract.

The 49ers have approximately $60 million in cap space should they want to pursue Kirk Cousins, or they could use their high first round pick on a quarterback in the draft.

The 49ers could use a franchise tag on Garoppolo and then trade him. Sources say there would be interest where the 49ers could get back more than the second round pick they traded to the Patriots.

At the very least, Garoppolo will be a place holder that gives the 49ers flexibility.

The Detroit Lions reportedly fielded calls for Eric Ebron, but Jim Caldwell says the realistic possibility of a trade was exaggerated.

"We didn't expect him to go anywhere," Caldwell said. "Because it's in the paper, because you guys talk about it, doesn't make it a fact. OK? So, take that for what it's worth.

"Some guys just kind of toss names out there just to be tossing them out. They have no information to back it up. So, we don't need to go into any long diatribe, reacting to what you guys wrote or what you guys reported. We basically just kind of treat it as is, and we're on to the next game."

Ebron has just 15 receptions for 160 yards and one touchdown through seven games.

Jeremy Lane failed his physical, forcing the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans to amend a prior trade agreement, according to a source.

The Seahawks had agreed to send Lane, a 2018 fifth-round pick and 2019 second-round pick to the Texans for Duane Brown. In the new agreement, Houston will receive a third-round pick in 2018, while Seattle will also get a 2018 fifth-rounder.

Lane was active on Sunday for the Seahawks, but was replaced as the nickelback after playing six snaps. Pete Carroll said he thought Lane had a thigh bruise.