Brock Purdy once admitted he "had a lot of doubt" about an NFL career, especially when the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft arrived without any apparent interest from teams around the league. But the San Francisco 49ers quarterback apparently needed just a single summer at the pro level to convince coach Kyle Shanahan that he would become the team's long-term starter.
Purdy's improbable rise from the last pick of the draft to the 49ers' Pro Bowl starter is well-documented by now. But 49ers owner Jed York now claims that Shanahan foresaw Purdy's ascent shortly after the Iowa State product arrived.
"He grabs me after practice," York told NBC Sports Bay Area this week, recalling Purdy's rookie training camp of 2022, "and (Shanahan) says, 'We got to talk.' And that's generally not a good thing when your coach tells you, 'We got to talk.'"
But Shanahan had a surprising message for the owner: "I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback."
Purdy, of course, began his career behind both Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021; and Jimmy Garoppolo, who led San Francisco to the Super Bowl in 2019. He technically also wasn't guaranteed an active-roster spot, with former Philadelphia Eagles reserve Nate Sudfeld also under contract as a backup. Shanahan apparently assured York that Purdy wouldn't be vaulted ahead of Lance or Garoppolo, who had each drawn significant financial investments from team brass, but instead predicted a future takeover.
"One thing owners don't love to hear (is) when they've invested money and/or draft picks ... into people and the last pick in the draft is the guy we think is the best," York said. "That's generally not great news, but he (was) honest. ... When Brock (later) took over, we had a calm about it. ... You might not like everything that Kyle tells you, but he's always open and honest in the moment."
Now, two years later, Purdy is fresh off his second NFC Championship appearance in two years, set to become the third-youngest QB in NFL history to start a Super Bowl. If Shanahan did, in fact, forecast his signal-caller's journey, it's safe to say he was correct.
