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Brock Purdy and Tom Brady have two very different perspectives on the 49ers’ pursuit of the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
But 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed to Peter King of NBC Sports who told Purdy he would be San Francisco’s starter for the 2023 NFL season only if the team couldn’t lure Brady back to the Bay Area to finish his legendary career.
“I’m glad you asked me that question,” Shanahan told King. “Yes, he was serious. As we’re talking, I’m looking at Brock, and he’s got his arm in a sling, and I’m really not sure we have a quarterback who’s ready for the start of the 2023 season.
“That started all of this.”
Purdy underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn upper ligament in his right elbow that he suffered in San Francisco’s heartbreaking NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last January.
After taking over center for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, all signs led to Purdy being the one for the 2023 season. While that was true, there was one exception.
Despite the news that his starting job could be in jeopardy, Purdy used the conversation he had with Shanahan as motivation.
“That meant a lot to me,” Purdy said. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner earlier this month. “I remember (Shanahan) said if we could get Tom Brady, we’d try to get him. And I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s the GOAT. I get it.’ But something deep inside me was like, ‘Dude, I just showed you that I can play well in this system. And we were one game away from the Super Bowl. “…More than anything, I thought, ‘Okay, now let’s go.’”
For Shanahan, lighting that fire under Purdy was intentional.
“I actually thought that was the biggest compliment to Brock,” Shanahan said. “I let him know that he is our long-term man. No doubt. And if Tom Brady wanted to come here and start for one year, that’s the only way to not start when he’s healthy this year. That is very beautiful. He wanted to assure her: ‘Don’t worry. You are our boy. But how cool would it be if Tom Brady was the quarterback here for a season? How cool would it be for you to learn from him?
“I mean, if Brock had never been hurt, this wouldn’t have been a consideration at all. He would never have mentioned it. But I have to think about the team. What if he’s not ready in September?
Brady was also asked about possibly joining the team he grew up following, but he deflectedly denied and downplayed the reality of it all.
“I think in football, whether you’re a free agent… I’ve heard a lot of stories about the draft when I was drafted,” Brady said on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” last week. “Oh, I was a headhunter.” for the (Green Bay) Packers at the time,’ or ‘Oh, I was a scout for the (Indianapolis) Colts at the time and if we had hired you…’ You can look at everything in football and say, ‘ Yes?’ But the reality is that I deal with what happened and the decisions that were made, whether it was free agency for me or signing contracts with the (New England) Patriots.
“This last offseason there are a lot of different things that people would suggest, but I just kept my mind focused on where I wanted to go and this was a great year to sit back and watch and learn and prepare to be in the FOX booth next year. “
In the end, it seems that everything worked out well for all parties involved.
Brady said no. The 49ers signed Sam Darnold. Purdy was officially named the starter. And well, the rest is history.
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