After leading his team to a 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first NFL start, 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy had a moment to remember after the game when he was given some words of encouragement from the man many regard as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time.
Purdy had a postgame handshake with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who was complimentary while congratulating Purdy on the win.
"Good playing, my man," Brady told Purdy. "You played great. Keep it up. Keep going."
Check out video of the encounter below, via 49ers.com:
Rookie and the vet. @brockpurdy13 🤝 @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/0fI0d1aIUw
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 12, 2022
Purdy finished with 185 yards passing on 16-of-21 passing with two touchdowns to go with one rushing touchdown. Brady had a much rougher outing, finishing with one touchdown and two interceptions on 34-of-55 passing and 253 yards.
Following his handshake with Brady, Purdy told FOX sideline reporter Erin Andrews that it was "crazy" to be playing against Brady after a lifetime of watching him on TV.
"I'm honored to play against him," Purdy said.
Brady spoke more about Purdy and the 49ers during his postgame media session.
"He played really well," Brady said. "He threw a lot of good balls, hung in there (during the) blitz. They did a good job. They did a really good job. A good job running it, a good job throwing it. They played really well."
Purdy took over the starting quarterback job after an injury to previous starter Jimmy Garoppolo in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. He became the first player selected last in the NFL Draft to start a game at quarterback Sunday and was the first player to notch a win over Brady in his first NFL start.
Purdy's performance didn't come as a surprise to the 49ers, who grew in confidence over the past few days after seeing the young quarterback perform in practice.
"He was great throughout the week. I think the week even made you feel better," head coach Kyle Shanahan said.
