How the 49ers struck gold with Brock Purdy — after a big swing and miss

Excerpted from The Why is Everything: A Story of Football, Rivalry and Revolution .

Copyright 2024 by Michael Silver.

Used with permission of the publisher, W.

W.

Norton & Company, Inc .

All rights reserved.

Editors note: The San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy agreed on Friday to a five-year, $265 million contract extension .

That makes the last pick from the 2022 NFL Draft No.

262 the owner of the richest contract in team history.

The following is the backstory of how Purdy found his way to San Francisco and proved himself worthy of being the 49ers franchise quarterback.

Advertisement The conversation began with a question about accuracy, a sensitive subject for Kyle Shanahan in the summer of 2022.

His newly anointed starting quarterback, Trey Lance, looked inconsistent during the first week and a half of training camp, missing easy throws and sending errant passes into the hands of 49ers defenders.

It had been a trying offseason for the second-year quarterback, who tweaked his mechanics, shortened his throwing motion, and experienced arm fatigue that caused concerned coaches to hold him out of drills.

Now, in summer practices open to media members and fans, Lance looked less like a franchise QB than a work in progress.

That hidden horsepower Shanahan had been intent on releasing remained concealed, if it existed at all.

It was one thing to miss an open receiver on a rollout swing pass.

Missing on a quarterback drafted third overall, especially when it had taken three first-round picks to acquire that selection? That could be ruinous for a coach, and for a franchise.

The 49ers were all in on winning a championship in 2022, and seemingly all in on Lance.

His predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo, was still technically on the team.

However, Garoppolo had already said goodbye in an emotional farewell press conference in early February.

Given his $24.2 million salary and its impact on the teams salary cap, the presumption was hed be traded or released before the start of the regular season.

In the meantime, Jimmy G, still rehabbing from the offseason surgery to his throwing shoulder that had derailed earlier trade scenarios, was spending his late-July and early-August days throwing passes to Cam Bustos, who worked in the teams health and performance department.

Garoppolo conducted his daily hour-long routine on a turf field behind a set of bleachers, west of the practice fields where the rest of the 49ers were getting ready for the season.

It was a literal sideshow.

At times, curious fans at the top of the bleachers turned their backs to the action and instead observed Garoppolo zipping balls to Bustos, shouting their encouragement.

Teammates coming to and from practice walked right past their former starting quarterback, dapping him up as he got his arm ready for his next NFL home.

It was Lances show, and Shanahan didnt really have a Plan B.

The 49ers had signed former Eagles backup Nate Sudfield to a fully guaranteed one-year, $2 million contract in March, but it was clearly Lance or bust.

And so far at camp, there were plenty of moments that suggested bust.

That the second-year player might not fulfill his promise wasnt a popular opinion in those parts.

The fan base had embraced Lances potential with a protective fervor, even before he was drafted, and many reacted angrily to any suggestion of his struggles.

When Id reported over the offseason about the young quarterbacks arm fatigue issues, the blowback on social media and elsewhere had been intense and sustained.

Shanahan, it could be reasonably surmised, also was not a fan of such storylines.

Yet, when I caught up to him as he walked to his office after a spirited training camp practice, he confronted the accuracy question without deflecting or equivocating.

Yes, Shanahan conceded, Lances accuracy was a concern.

The coach attributed much of the problem to the fact that Lance was often asked to throw on the move in high school and college.

The faster one travels, Shanahan explained, the trickier it is to make the ball go where you intend it to go.

He didnt portray the issue as insurmountable, but he also didnt act like it wasnt a thing.

What Shanahan said next opened a portal into his mind, revealing something foundational about how he viewed the game.

All quarterbacks, he said, have weaknesses that must be navigated and mitigated.

The key is to build a team around the quarterback capable of reducing his massive burden, and of compensating for his failings in key moments.

Advertisement The conversation veered into an assessment of how much is put on an NFL quarterback and how many obstacles appear especially in the postseason, when games tighten up and every play can feel monumental.

In those settings, Shanahan felt, asking the quarterback to do everything, to be the primary driving force whose actions determine victory and defeat, is typically not a winning strategy.

He referenced the previous Januarys 13-10 playoff victory over Matt LaFleur and the Packers at Lambeau Field, and how much of Green Bays operation revolved around Aaron Rodgers.

Thats why they dont win, he said.

Similarly, Peyton Manning, a quarterback he believed had the greatest-ever command of the position, had suffered a slew of postseason disappointments during his career, albeit while capturing two championships.

There are just too many variables you have to deal with that are difficult to predict, Shanahan said, citing Bill Belichicks strategic blueprint for consecutive Patriots playoff victories over the Colts in 2003 and 04 when he had defenders play tight, hyper-physical coverage on Indy receivers and dared the officials to penalize them repeatedly as an example.

Its too much on one guy.

There can be (bad) weather, injuries, so many things.

...

The only quarterback who has ever been able to handle all of it, in my opinion, is Tom (Brady).

For anyone else, you need to give him some help.

The overarching point was this: Shanahan was accustomed to managing his quarterbacks imperfections and crafting a plan to overcome them.

He fully anticipated having to do so with Lance, but for critics to focus only on the second-year player was to ignore how Shanahan had navigated the previous four and a half seasons with Garoppolo, who sometimes struggled going through his progressions, seeing the field the way Shanahan wanted him to, and throwing deep, among other shortcomings.

The 49ers had been to a Super Bowl and come close to reaching another because of Jimmy G and in spite of him.

Shanahan and Lynch had constructed a talented, well-rounded team whose players valued attention to detail, selflessness, and relentless physicality and effort.

Because of the two decision-makers belief in the soundness of that approach, theyd pivoted to a model of trusting a young quarterback on a rookie contract to be good enough to allow the 49ers comprehensive excellence to prevail.

It wasnt a bad plan, assuming Lance could find some consistency.

And if he couldnt? Well, the model was still sustainable.

The coach and GM would be proven right, though in a way they never could never have anticipated during training camp.

The first public clue that Shanahan was losing faith in Lance came in late August, when the 49ers made the shocking announcement that Garoppolo was coming back.

It was a fulfillment of what The Athletic s Tim Kawakami had dubbed The Garoppolypse, in reference to the universes seeming unwillingness to keep this franchise and this quarterback apart.

Shanahan and Lynch tried to spin it as a signing of convenience: lacking more enticing options, Garoppolo had agreed to a revised one-year contract that reduced his base salary to a fully guaranteed $6.5 million (with up to another $8.95 million in incentives) and included a provision that he couldnt be traded or given the franchise tag after the season.

Spin aside, the 49ers interest in approaching Garoppolo with an offer clearly represented a change of thinking, given that the teams former starter hadnt been asked to attend meetings or film-watching sessions during the preseason and had yet to even meet first-year quarterbacks coach Brian Griese.

Jimmy Gs return to the roster as a backup was sure to put more pressure on Lance, but Shanahan clearly wasnt averse to taking that risk.

It was, quite plainly, a hedge.

It aligned with something a former 49ers assistant coach had predicted to me months earlier: I think Kyle is just trying to figure out some way to bring Jimmy back, somehow, because he knows it could go really bad with Trey.

Advertisement The day after the Garoppolo news broke, in a move that attracted far less attention, the 49ers included Sudfeld in their final roster cuts to reach the 53-man limit.

Garoppolos return may have made such a transaction seem inevitable, but there was a twist: Shanahan and Lynch kept three quarterbacks on the roster, which had not been their intent at the start of training camp.

The third was a rookie theyd planned to release and then bring back onto the practice squad, allowing the Niners to keep the young quarterback in the fold while paying him very little, and to use the valuable roster spot on a player at another position.

However, the rookie whom the 49ers had selected with the 262nd and final pick of the draft had impressed Shanahan from the moment he arrived in Santa Clara.

More to the point, hed unleashed a few bold and savvy passes during the preseason that Shanahan feared would be noticed by other teams coaches and scouts.

Shanahan felt that cutting the kid and sneaking him onto the practice squad was too risky; another team could claim him and sign him to its active roster.

So, Shanahan and Lynch decided to keep Brock Purdy on the team.

Purdys ascent may have appeared unlikely to outsiders, but in the locker room, most people got it.

Hed made a good impression in OTAs and minicamps, and, once training camp began, had made the most of his limited opportunities.

Because of that, his opportunities increased.

He was ultraprepared, went through his progressions faithfully, saw the field well, and exuded calm in a manner that belied his status.

Best of all, he had what is known in 49ers internal parlance as some s in his neck.

Nearly from the outset, the 22-year-old acted like he belonged, and then some.

It helped that Purdy was used to being underestimated.

Growing up in Queen Creek, Ariz., he was a sports-loving kid who dreamed of playing major college football despite the improbability of that actually happening.

Earning a scholarship was important to him, and not just symbolically.

In 2008, the Purdys, like so many American families, had their lives upended by the housing crash caused by the subprime mortgage crisis.

His father, Shawn, a former minor league pitcher, and mother, Carrie, struggled to make things work while prioritizing the athletic pursuits of Brock, younger brother Chubba, and older sister Whittney.

At the time, I didnt really understand what was going on, recalled Purdy, who was 8.

But I knew we lost everything, and we were moving from house to house, and my dad had to open up his business in another name.

And all that stuff, I didnt understand any of it.

When I got through high school and (started to understand), I was like, Maaaan.

You look back and (think), They put everything into us, still, even with all that.

No matter what their situation was, they still gave all that they had to us, in terms of the time spent, my dad coaching us everything.

They showed me what sacrifice was.

They showed me what real love was.

On the recruiting trail, love was harder to come by.

Purdy, who stood 6-foot-1, didnt have an overwhelmingly strong arm and wasnt exceptionally athletic.

He got no attention from big-time programs until late in his senior season, when he threw 57 touchdowns and earned Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

He finally attracted interest from some Power 5 conference schools: first Iowa State, and then mighty Alabama , though coach Nick Saban wanted him as a preferred walk-on.

Shortly after Saban pivoted and offered a full scholarship, Texas A&M extended a similar overture.

As things heated up, Arizona State, and then Arizona, came in belatedly.

Advertisement Sometime after the initial signing day in December of his senior year, Purdy got a text from a Sun Devils staffer, something that once would have caused him to hyperventilate with excitement.

He wasnt sold on its sincerity; it felt like a face-saving measure.

It was respectful, Purdy remembered, but it wasnt like, We want you to be the guy, or anything like that.

It was more like, now I had offers from Alabama and A&M and the whole states telling us to sign you.

Purdy politely passed.

In February, he signed with Iowa State because Cyclones coach Matt Campbell had made him feel wanted in a way that others hadnt.

There were a handful of teams at the end that offered me.

But Coach Campbell called me and said, Man, I want you.

Were not trying to recruit any other guys.

If you come here, great.

If not, were set with who we got.

That, to me, was like, Man, this guy really believes in me.

Whereas all these other schools, if they didnt get their guy, they were gonna go get another guy.

Campbell didnt do that.

And then, from day one, once I got there and started playing, that dude gave me the keys to the program and trusted me and believed in me.

The belief was validated the following October, when Campbell turned to Purdy and the true freshman led Iowa State to high-profile upsets of Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

By the time his four-year career was done, he held 32 school passing records.

He believed he was ready, again, for the next level of competition.

And yet, once again, it seemed that very few people believed him capable of meeting that standard, especially after he ran a relatively slow 40-yard dash (4.84 seconds) that didnt properly showcase his pocket elusiveness.

Before the 2022 draft, Purdy was realistic.

He knew he had no shot of going in the first three rounds, so he set his sights on Day 3.

His mom wanted to host a big party at the house, but Brock, nervous and overwhelmed, insisted that the gathering be kept small unless and until he was actually drafted.

Carrie Purdy persisted in her optimism, preparing enough food to feed a small village.

As the final four rounds played out, it appeared as though thered be a whole lot of leftovers.

Advertisement The morning of the drafts third and final day, Purdy got a call from 49ers headquarters that raised his hopes.

Griese, whod succeeded John Elway as Mike Shanahans starting quarterback in Denver, and assistant QBs coach Klay Kubiak whose father, Gary, had given Kyle his first opportunity as an offensive coordinator in Houston told Purdy the team might select him at some point during the day.

The 49ers had become intrigued after area scout Steve Slowik brother of Bobby, the teams passing-game coordinator alerted them to Purdys abilities and to Campbells glowing praise; as the coach put it, This guy changed our program.

Griese had initiated some Zoom sessions between him, Kubiak, and Purdy to discuss scheme, the quarterbacks processing style, and his backstory.

All of that was cool, but hardly a guarantee that the 49ers would select him.

So, Purdy watched anxiously and waited.

And waited.

Finally, sometime during the sixth round, he retreated to his childhood bedroom and slept, exhausted from the stress.

That last day was just so tiring, so draining, he recalled.

Throughout the day, I was following the Niners, and anytime they didnt pick me, I would be, like, drained in a sense.

So, I remember my dad and I literally took a nap at some point in the sixth round.

I was so tired from all of it.

Shortly after waking up, he got another call from 49ers headquarters.

They said, Hey, we have one more pick in the seventh round and were gonna try to take you its between you and a safety.

I said, Alright, sweet.

I hung up and Googled what pick they had, and it was the last pick.

I was like, Youve gotta be kidding me.

The wait seemed endless, especially given all the compensatory picks that lengthened the seventh round.

Purdy hoped another team might swoop in and snap him up before the Niners were on the clock.

As he watched that hope evaporate, he and his agent fielded calls from various teams angling to sign him as an undrafted free agent.

Purdy jotted down notes from those conversations, assessing his options and anticipating the mad scramble for such players that occurs upon the drafts completion.

At that point at least logically going undrafted was a preferable outcome.

That way, Purdy could choose the team that best suited him and theoretically optimize his chances of sticking around in the league.

However, it wasnt the outcome Purdy craved.

Advertisement Finally, as the round neared its conclusion, the 49ers called again: they were taking Purdy at 262.

A wave of joy engulfed him; bedlam ensued.

I was the last pick, Purdy said, and we celebrated like I was the first pick.

Now Carrie had the green light to host the party.

We had almost everybody from my life in football and family friends come over, Brock said.

Probably over 100 people within the next hour.

We were all excited.

In 1976, former USC and NFL wide receiver Paul Salata coined the term Mr.

Irrelevant, bestowing that moniker upon the final pick of the draft and feting him with a series of events during Irrelevant Week in Newport Beach, California, including the awarding of the Lowsman Trophy a play on the Heisman Trophy, only this time with the bronzed player fumbling a football.

It became an annual tradition.

It was kind of funny at first, then bemusing.

By 2022, it was played out.

Realistically, it hadnt been amusing for at least a couple of decades.

As thrilled as Purdy was to hear his name called on draft night, he wasnt particularly captivated by the spoofing of that pick and the opportunity to play along.

On a conference call with reporters covering the draft at Levis Stadium, Purdy chafed at the Mr.

Irrelevant queries, saying, For me, Im looking at it as an opportunity.

I got my foot in the door.

A team believed in me, and now I get my opportunity to go and play football.

...

From the outside looking in, yeah, I guess its a funny thing.

Fighting for a roster spot was a serious matter, and Purdy intended to win one.

In Shanahans eyes, he was a younger version of Nick Mullens, the scrappy backup quarterback whod once worn headphones around the facility, listening to the coach call plays so that it would all seem familiar on game day.

When Purdy showed up for rookie minicamp, he was a bit awestruck, overwhelmed by the 49ers aura, the history of it with the Super Bowls and the quarterbacks and obviously, Id grown up watching Kyle Shanahan coach.

He had to quickly digest one of footballs most intricate playbooks and become versed in Shanahans scheme.

He shone in OTAs and got his head coachs attention early in training camp.

Advertisement About a week into camp, Shanahan, while walking off the practice field, approached CEO Jed York and told him, I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback.

York gulped.

As hed later explain, One thing that owners dont love to hear when theyve invested money and/or draft picks into people is that the last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best.

Thats generally not great news.

When pressed, Shanahan told York he had no plans to change the depth chart, but I think Brock will end up being our quarterback.

By the second week of camp, Purdys fearlessness and penchant for playmaking had started to become a thing.

The day before the 49ers hosted the Packers in their preseason opener, two of their best players, linebacker Fred Warner and offensive tackle Trent Williams, were walking off the practice field together.

Man, Warner said to Williams, I cant wait to watch Purdy play tomorrow.

They didnt realize it, but Purdy was walking behind them, within earshot, thrilled that such accomplished teammates even knew his name.

Recalled Warner, Even though (Purdy was playing with) the third team, he had command of the third team.

I just kind of admired him from afar just little things he did out there.

Purdy made some eye-catching plays during the preseason, fitting balls into tight windows between linebackers and defensive backs, but he also drove Shanahan, Griese, and Bobby Slowik crazy at times by trying to do too much.

Purdy got a taste of Shanahans temper, too, including once when he deviated from the coachs script during a training camp drill.

I remember there was this one play, it was a play action.

I rolled out, and we had (tight end) Ross Dwelley leaking backside and I ran for, like, 10 yards.

On the jog back (to the huddle), Im like, Alright, that was a good play.

(Shanahan was) just cussing at me through the mic: Are you kidding me? This is not how I taught it! He was heated.

On cutdown day, however, Purdy felt the warm embrace signified by a roster spot.

To some people, possibly including Sudfeld, that was a surprise.

To one very accomplished offensive strategist, it made all the sense in the world.

Mike Shanahan sat on a couch in Room 753 of the J.W.

Marriott in downtown Chicago, about 10 miles east of the Oak Park neighborhood where he was born.

Like everyone in the 49ers traveling party, he was anxious to see how Trey Lance would do the following afternoon in his first regular-season game as the teams starting quarterback, especially with driving rain in the forecast.

That was one of many topics of discussion the proud father was eager to discuss.

Something made the elder Shanahan a little more serene than he should have been the presence of a quarterback whose virtues hed been openly extolling for months.

Advertisement When you have a guy like that on your team, a guy with the traits he has, Shanahan said, you dont let him out of your building.

Mentally, at least, I did a double-take.

We were talking about Brock Purdy, and this two-time Super Bowl-winning coach was doing so in a tone normally reserved for elite and accomplished passers from his past.

It made sense, though, given our previous conversations in May and June, during which Shanahan had made numerous unsolicited mentions of the 262nd picks many positive attributes.

Like Slowik, Griese, and Kubiak, Shanahan had watched Purdys college tape before the draft and become intrigued.

Once the retired coach got his hands on the 49ers OTA film, that intrigue morphed into intense adulation.

Whether Mike Shanahan was serving as a shadow GM for his son (that was probably overstated) or simply staying involved in the game during his golden years was a matter of some debate; he told me the main reason he liked watching practices and meetings was to keep abreast of his sons cutting-edge schematics, which had evolved a great deal since the Washington days.

Whatever the case, Mike, from afar, saw something early in Purdy that even Kyle hadnt yet spotted.

What stood out most was Purdys comfort and recognition of what he himself was seeing on the field.

Hes played, Shanahan said, referring to Purdys 48 starts at Iowa State.

In that sense, Purdy was almost the anti-Lance.

Could it be that the Niners had taken a massive swing and miss and that theyd get away with it because of the equivalent of an infield hit on an errant pitch that nicked the back of the bat? (Top photo: Chris Unger / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6362820/2025/05/20/nfl-49ers-purdy-football-book/