Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy took the NFL world by surprise in 2022. As the final pick in the draft—Mr. Irrelevant—few outside the 49ers’ building had any expectations for the rookie signal-caller, who entered the season as the third quarterback on the depth chart.
In fact, most casual fans had no idea who Purdy was. However, by December of that year, everything changed.
Opportunity knocked when both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries. Purdy stepped in late in the season and never relinquished the starting job. He led the 49ers on a deep playoff run that culminated in an NFC Championship Game appearance. Many believe that if not for the torn UCL in his throwing elbow during that game, the 49ers could have reached—and possibly won—the Super Bowl.
Despite Lance still being on the roster the following offseason, it became clear that Purdy was the team’s quarterback of the future, even while rehabbing from major surgery. The 49ers briefly explored bringing in Tom Brady, but ultimately committed to Purdy, later trading Lance to the Dallas Cowboys. That move wasn’t easy on Purdy.
“It’s tough because Trey and I are tight, dude,” Purdy said during a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “Absolutely, we’re boys, and we’re bros.”
Although media chatter had speculated about a potential quarterback competition, especially if Purdy started slow following his recovery, the internal dynamic between Purdy and Lance remained supportive and professional.
“I wanted nothing but the best for him, and I know he wanted that for me,” Purdy added. “But that’s just how this business goes and all that. When it did happen, we’re about to play our preseason game against the Chargers, and right before the game, they announced it.
“And I didn’t really know how to act or what to think. I was just like, man, I hope he can go to Dallas and compete and have a great opportunity.”
Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out for Lance in Dallas. After spending two seasons with the Cowboys, he signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, hoping for a fresh start.
Purdy, meanwhile, focused on proving himself all over again in 2023.
“But after that moment, it was just like, all right, obviously I was the guy at the end of the year, the year before, tore my UCL, came back, and now I have to go prove it again this whole season,” Purdy said. “And so, that’s just where my mindset was at with that, and I knew that I had a good team around me, and I just got to go out there and rip it, win games, put together a good season.”
He did just that, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl, falling just short of securing the franchise’s sixth championship.
When asked if he and Lance ever discussed the emotions surrounding the 2023 offseason and the trade, Purdy said their conversations never went deep.
“Not so much that,” Purdy responded. “We’ve just texted each other, like, ‘Hey, dude, hope you’re doing good,’ like, randomly throughout the season, offseason, or whatever. ‘Hope you’re doing good,’ this and that. It’s really just been that.
“We haven’t really gotten to the details of, ‘Hey, how do you feel with this happening?’ or whatever. We just stay away from that.”
Purdy went on to sign a five-year, $265 million contract extension with the 49ers, solidifying himself as the franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.
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