With Brock Purdy recovering from a torn UCL in this throwing elbow last offseason, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to go big game hunting.
With a possible need at quarterback, San Francisco tried to convince Tom Brady to play one more year, Shanahan confirmed to NBC’s Peter King. The 49ers coach reportedly told Purdy the only way he wouldn’t start this season is if they were able to bring Brady out of retirement.
“Yes, I was serious about it,” Shanahan told King. “As we talked, I’m looking at Brock, and he’s got his arm in a sling, and I really am not sure I’ve got a quarterback who’s going to be ready for the start of the 2023 season. That started all of this.”
Ultimately, Brady turned down his hometown team and stayed on the sideline. Things worked out well for the 49ers regardless, as Purdy was ready to start the season and has since piloted San Francisco to the Super Bowl.
“I actually thought it was giving Brock the biggest compliment,” Shanahan said. “I let him know he’s our guy long-term. No question. And if Tom Brady wanted to come here and start for one year, that’s the only way you’re not starting when you’re healthy this year. That’s pretty cool. I wanted to assure him, ‘Don’t worry. You’re our guy. But how cool would it be if Tom Brady would be the quarterback here for one season? How cool would it be for you to learn from him?’ I mean, if Brock never got hurt, this wouldn’t have been a consideration at all. I’d never have brought it up. But I’ve got to think about the team. What if he’s not ready in September?”
The Brady intel first came to light in an ESPN story last month, where Purdy himself revealed the conversation with Shanahan.
“That meant so much to me,” Purdy told ESPN. “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.’”
