After spending three and a half years sitting on the bench behind Tom Brady, in 2017, Jimmy Garoppolo made his breakthrough in the NFL.The former New England Patriots back up was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October - in return for a second-round pick in the 2018 draft.As soon as that deal was made, the Pats came under fire and for good reason too.

IMPRESSING IN CALIFORNIA

It was always believed that Garoppolo would be Brady's eventual replacement in Foxborough, but now, that's not going to happen. 

And after he stepped out of TB12's shadow, the 49ers quarterback finished 2017 with a very impressive record - showing the Pats exactly what they're going to miss. 

Before he arrived on the west coast, San Francisco had only won one of their 10 games. 

But after being named as a starter in week 13, Garoppolo led his new team five wins in a row, finishing the season on a high. 

SHOWING CONFIDENCE

In 2018, the 26-year-old will go into his first NFL season as a starter. After a strong finish last year, 49ers fans will be hoping he can guide the team to their first winning season since 2013.

And after his recent comments, Garoppolo himself will be very confident of doing so - because he's made a very big claim.

In three seasons with New England, the quarterback made a total of 17 appearances - and only two of them were starts. 

That's unsurprising, considering how consistent and dominant Brady has been throughout his career. 

But despite barely taking to the field behind his former teammate, Garoppolo has revealed that he always thought he was better than the Patriots starter.

AN OUTRAGEOUS CLAIM

That mindset is one that was born a very long time ago, as the QB explains. 

"Even when I was a little kid, my brothers, whenever we would play, I would literally always think I was going to win," Garoppolo told Bleacher Report. 

"I wouldn’t, but I would always think that. It’s like when I go to New England, when I first got there, I thought in my head, 'I'm better than this dude.'

"It was always a quiet confidence, I would never speak that."

Wow, that's a pretty huge claim. One that most NFL fans would probably disagree with. 

In fact, some took to Twitter to voice their confusion about what he's been saying.

PROVING HIS POINT

If Garoppolo wants to make outrageous comments like that, then he better be ready to back them up on the field. 

2018 could be a groundbreaking year for him - but he's still got a long way to go if he wants to catch Brady and his four Super Bowl wins. No time like the present, though.