Tom Brady on Jimmy Garoppolo Trade: 'He Was a Great Teammate and a Great Friend'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was the reason Jimmy Garoppolo rarely saw the field throughout his first three-plus seasons, but that didn't stop the all-time great from providing his former backup with encouraging words following Monday's trade.

"He was a great teammate and a great friend," Brady said Monday during a Westwood One interview (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com). "He always will be. I want nothing but the very best for him. He's earned the trust of his teammates and the respect of his teammates and that's all you can ask for as a player."

Brady's comments came after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Patriots traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick.

The move also means Brady is without a backup for the time being, and he was asked about whether trading Garoppolo means the Patriots still see him as the future of the position at age 40.

"Well, I don't know what that means," he said. "This is a week-to-week league. Things change so quickly from week to week, year to year. Everyone is concerned; in my mind, this is all about this season and us trying to win."

Brady had plenty of opportunity to work with Garoppolo since New England selected the latter with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Reiss noted it was the earliest the Patriots picked a quarterback since head coach Bill Belichick took over before the 2000 season.

Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report was bullish on the move from San Francisco's perspective, calling landing Garoppolo for a second-rounder "one of the great steals in NFL trade history."

While the Eastern Illinois product has attempted a mere 94 regular-season passes throughout his career, he handled himself well in 2016 during two starts while Brady was suspended.

He went 24-of-33 for 264 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals and 18-of-26 for 232 yards and three touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins, all while not throwing an interception and earning two wins despite suffering a shoulder injury in the second start.

Play like that is likely what the 49ers envision for their 25-year-old signal-caller, although he is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018. However, Schefter reported the team plans on keeping him with either a new deal or the franchise tag.

They can take solace knowing Garoppolo has Brady's seal of approval as they begin to work on their future plans with their new acquisition.