Brock Purdy reveals 49ers wanted Tom Brady as their starter in 2023
Brock Purdy was told that he would be benched if the 49ers could lure Tom Brady out of retirement.
Brock Purdy seems to have luck on his side this season, despite donning the unlucky No. 13 on his jersey.
But, according to ESPN’s Mike Wagoner, before he became the 49er’s starting quarterback in 2023, there was a chance Purdy’s spot would be taken by a familiar No. 12.
Purdy revealed that during the offseason, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan assured him that he would be a starter as long as he remained healthy. That is, unless Tom Brady wanted to return to his native Bay Area for one last go on the gridiron.
“That meant so much to me,” Purdy said. “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.'”
Brady wrote in his 2023 recap on Instagram that he was planning on unretiring in May. What got in the way? Allegedly a surprise retirement party thrown by his friends stopped him from backing out.
Lucky for Purdy, Brady was content to wave goodbye to his playing days, leaving the road to stardom wide open for the young quarterback.
And while it’s fun to imagine a world in which Brady was lured (once again) out of retirement, it feels impossible to imagine anyone other than Purdy leading the Niners’ charge into the NFC championship.
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