Tom Brady was linked to the San Francisco 49ers from the time it became possible that his days in New England were numbered, and even Kyle Shanahan is now willing to admit that those rumors were not baseless.
Brock Purdy told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner last month that Shanahan assured Purdy that the then-rookie was going to be San Francisco’s starting quarterback again as soon as Purdy was cleared from the elbow injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs. The only scenario in which Purdy would not have started was if the 49ers convinced Brady to sign with them.
“That meant so much to me,” Purdy said. “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.'”
In an interview with Peter King of NBC Sports that was published on Monday, Shanahan confirmed that Purdy was telling the truth. The coach said he and 49ers general manager John Lynch did, in fact, pursue Brady last offseason. Shanahan felt it was “the biggest compliment” he could give Purdy.
“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,” Shanahan told King. “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?'”
Shanahan added that signing Brady would not have been a consideration if Purdy never got hurt.
While Lynch never directly addressed whether the 49ers pursued Brady, he did offer some cryptic remarks about the situation last March.
Purdy underwent major elbow surgery, so it was not a given that he would be ready in time for the start of the 2023 season. It makes sense that the 49ers checked in on Brady, who was set on retiring. Purdy should not take it personally that his team wanted to sign a seven-time Super Bowl champion, though it is a good sign that the 24-year-old used it as fuel.
