"It's ludicrous," SF running back Jeff Wilson told Sports Illustrated this week. "[Garoppolo] just took us all the way to the Super Bowl, great season, 14 wins."

There's been growing buzz around the NFL that a TB12-for-Jimmy G swap could, in fact, go down ... and it does make some sense for both sides.

Remember, the Pats LOVED Garoppolo when he was in New England ... and reluctantly traded him to SF back in 2017 when it was clear Brady still had gas left in the tank.

As for the Niners, they were only a few key QB plays away from winning the Super Bowl last month ... and some think Brady could have made those easily.

But, Wilson says SF needs to give Garoppolo another chance to prove himself ... saying, "He's a great quarterback, he's been that way ever since he's been to San Fran."

The move would take some finessing from both sides to happen ... Brady would have to agree to a sign-and-trade deal with NE first and foremost, and the Niners would have to do some dancing with the salary cap.

But, free agency is set to begin later this month ... and crazier things have happened in the league.