Brock Purdy will be in the incredible position of starting his first Super Bowl on Sunday, but Kyle Shanahan confirmed he would have had to watch this season from the sideline had the San Francisco 49ers been able to put a Hall of Fame insurance policy into effect this offseason.

Purdy revealed last month that he was told by the 49ers he would be the starting quarterback for 2023 unless they were able to coax Tom Brady out of retirement to play for his boyhood team for a year.

Little has been made of that revelation since but, in an interview with Peter King for Football Morning in America, Shanahan was asked about telling Purdy of his desire to pursue Brady. 

"I’m glad you asked me that question," Shanahan said. "Yes, I was serious about it. 

“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."

While Shanahan's interest in Brady came as a result of the torn elbow ligament Purdy suffered in last season's NFC Championship Game, he also believed a year learning from the greatest of all time would have been extremely beneficial for a quarterback who at that point had only started and finished seven games.

"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?"

That opportunity to learn from Brady never came to pass and Shanahan's worries about his quarterback situation proved unfounded as Purdy's recovery went as planned, allowing him to produce a season that saw him set the franchise record for single-season passing yardage (4,280) and lead the league in passer rating, QBR and every yards per attempt metric.

Instead of Purdy watching Brady from the sideline, Brady has admired Purdy from afar as he has led the 49ers to a pair of comeback playoff wins to secure their place in the Super Bowl. Brady playing one year for the team he grew up rooting for would have made for a fascinating story, but his decision to call it a career at least partially facilitated Purdy taking his remarkable rise since being taken with the final pick in 2022 to heights nobody could have anticipated. 

49ers believe they are starting Super Bowl week at disadvantage

They aren’t happy.