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Against virtually all odds, a quarterback selected with the final pick in the NFL Draft -- a Mr. Irrelevant -- has led a team to the Super Bowl. That's the story of Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers, who will play the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11 in Super Bowl LVIII to end the 2023 NFL season.
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Purdy and the 49ers are hoping to end a 29-year Super Bowl drought, but it won't be easy against last season's Lombardi Trophy winners. If San Francisco wins, Purdy's story will bear even more eerie similarities to that of Tom Brady, who won seven Super Bowls while playing for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- despite being a sixth-round pick. But if the Chiefs win again, many will wonder whether the 49ers should have simply signed Brady himself.
John Lynch: We looked at our QB options, and Brady was one of them
San Francisco general manage r John Lynch has addressed rumors that the 49ers seriously considered g Brady for the 2023 season instead of keeping it rolling with Purdy under center. Lynch, the architect of another NFC championship winner this season, said on a recent podcast appearance that he spoke with head coach Kyle Shanahan about the possibility of luring Brady to the Bay Area before the season began.
"Kyle and I haven't talked about it, but the context of that was Brock got hurt in the NFC Championship Game, as everyone knows, against Philly, and his elbow was really not in a good spot," Lynch told the "Eye Test for Two" podcast. "And I think, to look back now, unbelievably, almost a miraculous recovery. He beat the timeline and all that."
There was genuine concern that Purdy, who suffered a torn elbow ligament last January, would not be full-go for the start of the 2023 -- which necessitated some hard conversations about the 49ers' starter under center. Brady, who had decided to leave Tampa after three playoff appearances in as many seasons, was Shanahan's preferred choice if Purdy's recovery took longer than anticipated.
"It wasn't us saying to Brock, 'Hey, we're bringing in Brady. If not, maybe you're the starter,'" Lynch said. "It was, I think, more of a sign of belief in him that, 'Hey, you took us far in your rookie year. We believe that you're our guy. As you're healing up, just understand we may have to go secure some other options.'"
But as it happened, Brady retired from the NFL for good, and Purdy was ready for the start of the regular season -- when he led the Niners to the NFC's #1 seed and a first appearance in the Super Bowl since the 2019 season.
Purdy draws on his teammates' experiences
Several 49ers players -- as well as the Lynch-Shanahan pairing -- what it was like to lose to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. San Francisco built a 20-10 lead through three quarters and appeared destined to lift the Lombardi Trophy, but a fourth-quarter collapse saw Kansas City score the final 21 points of the game in Miami and go on to win 31-20.
Purdy has never played in a Super Bowl, but he is drawing on the experiences of those veteran teammates who have as he prepares to face the Chiefs' elite defense -- which has yet to allow more than 28 points in a game all season.
The Niners are slim two-point favorites to defeat the Chiefs in this Super Bowl rematch, and a win would see Purdy's name etched in team -- and league -- lore. Only the undrafted Kurt Warner's victory with the St. Louis Rams following the 1999 season would compare to Purdy, the 262nd pick in 2022, winning it all with San Francisco.