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Publicly, the San Francisco 49ers remained steadfast throughout the 2023 offseason in declaring Brock Purdy their starting quarterback. This commitment meant a lot to the second-year quarterback, who was recovering from offseason surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow—an injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game.
Before this setback, the 49ers seemed destined to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 57, and Purdy's emergence played a significant role in that.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan sat down with Purdy in the offseason, making it clear that the young quarterback would start in Week 1. Barring any setback in his recovery, only one factor could have altered this plan.
"Early in the offseason, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan sat down with Purdy and assured him that if he was healthy he would be the starter unless Brady wanted to play one more season for his hometown Niners," wrote Nick Wagoner in a feature for ESPN.
Purdy had recently defeated a team led by Tom Brady, with his first start coming against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Purdy guided the 49ers to a one-sided 35-7 victory. He proceeded to lead the team to six more victories before losing in the NFC Championship Game.
Purdy understood the 49ers' thinking. If you have a shot at a future Hall of Fame quarterback, you take it. Even after Brady's retirement, rumors persisted about the possibility of him playing one season for his hometown 49ers.
According to Wagoner, San Francisco was "ready for one final run at Tom Brady." However, Brady remained retired, and the team moved forward with their impressive young quarterback.
"That meant so much to me," Purdy said of Shanahan's confidence in him. "I remember him saying, 'If we can get Tom Brady, we're going to try to get him.' And I was like, 'Yeah, he's the GOAT. I get it.' But something deep down inside me was sort of 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 was like, 'OK, now let's go.'"
The decision to stick with Purdy has paid off for the 49ers. They now have the opportunity to return to the NFC Championship Game for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in five years. Purdy has been a pivotal factor in the team's success this season and even set a new franchise record for passing yards in a single season.
While the prospect of Brady joining the 49ers might have created an intriguing storyline, the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft winning Super Bowl 58 could be even better.
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