Brock Purdy inadvertently confirms a suspicion about Jimmy Garoppolo that 49ers fans have held for a long time
Brock Purdy has one of the most unique stories among quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the most. Lightly recruited out of high school, overlooked in college, last pick of the 2022 draft. Step by step, he had the chance to play, became a full-time starter for the San Francisco 49ers, and solidified himself as […]
Brock Purdy has one of the most unique stories among quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the most. Lightly recruited out of high school, overlooked in college, last pick of the 2022 draft. Step by step, he had the chance to play, became a full-time starter for the San Francisco 49ers, and solidified himself as a Pro Bowler and one of the most prolific passers over the past few seasons.
"My whole story dude has been just being overlooked, not good enough," Purdy said on the Built 4 More podcast earlier this week. "For me, deep down inside, I'm like I know I can play and compete at this level, this level, this level."
An interesting perspective that Purdy shared was about his trajectory in the league. Three years ago, Trey Lance was projected to start for the 49ers, and the team brough Jimmy Garoppolo back to give them depth at the position.
With that, Purdy ended up fighting to be the third-string quarterback with Nate Sudfeld. But with Garoppolo's injury history, the young player knew he could get reps as soon as Lance went down. And that’s something 49ers fans have known for quite some time, it’s hard to trust that Garoppolo will have the ability to stay healthy for long periods of time.
"Dude, I'm not going to lie. During camp and stuff, all the competitions were going on, and Trey (Lance) was the guy. But Nate Sudfeld and I were competing, and I knew that I could rip the ball. Going up against some dudes that I've watched growing up on the practice field, and then in preseason games, so that sort of gave me some confidence, like, 'Okay, I can do this thing,' Purdy stressed. "I don't know how it's going to go down because there's guys in front of me with Trey Lance and then later Jimmy Garoppolo joined again. But once Jimmy became the starter, I was like, I might get some playing time this year, man, I just don't know when."
And that was exactly what happened. Garoppolo started 10 games for the 49ers, but suffered a foot injury that ended his season, allowing Purdy to become the starter and lead the team to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie. In 2023, Purdy was already the full-time starter, and the 49ers reached the Super Bowl.
"For me, it was always, once I get a shot and an opportunity, I want to prove to myself. God's gifted me with these talents, I want to show that," Purdy added. "If it wasn't football, football didn't turn out good, it's all good. I'm going to go on another route where you have me, and be present with my life and not try to compare myself to other people, other people's situations. It was more of, ‘Hey I'm going to be right where I'm at and make the most of what God's blessed me with, and that's all I can do, and I'll be at peace with that.’"
Now, Brock Purdy is entering a different part of his career. Getting to the final year of his rookie deal, that Mr. Irrelevant contract will most likely be replaced with a top long-term extension with the 49ers—Fox Sports' insider Jordan Schultz mentioned something around $50 million and $55 million per season. With that, more responsibilities are to come, and Purdy will have to prove himself once again.
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