49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed last offseason how seriously the team was pursuing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
Shanahan, who underwent surgery after then-rookie quarterback Brock Purdy injured his elbow during the NFC Championship game against the Eagles in January 2023, is currently preparing to face the Chiefs in the 2024 Super Bowl. There is. He told NBC Sports’ Peter King. How the affair with retired Brady, 46, stemmed from Purdy’s Week 1 availability.
“As we speak, I’m looking at Brock and he’s got his arm in a sling and we really don’t know if we’re really going to have a quarterback who will be ready in time to start the 2023 season. That’s how it all started. ” Shanahan said in this week’s “Football Morning in America” column.
Mr. Irrelevant Purdy, the 262nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had just started in place of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and led the 49ers to an NFC Championship berth.
Shanahan, 44, told the 24-year-old quarterback that he is a “long-term player” for the 49ers, but if Brady, a California native, wants to play one season with his hometown team, Purdy will be the one. That was the idea. He will be demoted to QB2.
“I actually thought that was the biggest compliment to Brock,” Shanahan said. “I told him he’s our guy for the long term, no questions asked. And if Tom Brady wanted to come here and start the year, if he’s healthy this year. Sometimes it’s the only way not to start. That’s good. I wanted to tell him, “Don’t worry.” you are our man But how great would it be if Tom Brady could be our quarterback here for just one season? How great would it be if we could learn from him?”
Spoiler alert: Purdy was given the green light to start after a dominant 30-7 win over the Steelers in the season opener.
But if Purdy hadn’t been injured, Brady’s backup plan “wouldn’t have been considered at all,” Shanahan said.
“I never would have brought it up. But I have to think about the team,” Shanahan said.
Purdy and the 49ers finished the regular season with a 12-5 record and then earned a 34-31 come-from-behind victory over the Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 28 to earn a ticket to the 2024 Super Bowl.
Purdy reflected on his conversation with Shanahan ahead of the NFC title game. During an interview with ESPN.
“It meant a lot to me,” Purdy said. “I remember him saying if we can get Tom Brady, let’s get him. And I thought, ‘Yeah, he’s a goat.’ Understood. ‘But in the back of my mind, I was like, “Hey, I just proved that I can play well in this system.” And the Super Bowl was one game away. ” …More than anything, it was like, “Okay, let’s go.” ”
Purdy and the 49ers will play the Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
As for Brady, the former Buccaneers and Patriots quarterback declared this was his career last February after 23 seasons.
Although he joked in May about not retiring, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is ready to embrace the next chapter of his career as FOX’s lead NFL analyst starting this fall. It seems so.
