Jimmy Garoppolo stopped being a member of the Patriots when he was traded to the 49ers in October, but he had a hand in securing a first-round bye for his former team.

Shortly after the Patriots wrapped up a convincing win over the Bills, Garoppolo piloted the 49ers to a 44-33 win over the Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. That left Jacksonville with no way to finish ahead of New England in the AFC and gave Garoppolo four wins in four starts for his new team.

Both of those things have Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sending some love to his former teammate.

“He’s done a great job,” Brady said on WEEI. “You go in there and get the opportunity to play and win games, that is what we are all here for. It was good to see and good for them to beat Jacksonville, that really helped us. I am really happy for Jimmy and he’s worked really hard. It shows up when he goes out there and plays really well.”

Garoppolo’s in-season move to the 49ers starting lineup won’t end the same way as Brady’s in-season move to the Patriots lineup in 2001, but it has certainly sparked hope that better days are coming quickly.