Jed York recalls incredible story of Kyle Shanahan telling him third string Brock Purdy was 49ers’ best QB
Kyle Shanahan saw the future for the 49ers.
And the San Francisco head coach wasn't afraid to reveal it to team CEO Jed York, even if that meant publicly acknowledging that the 49ers' third-string quarterback was actually their best QB.
At one point in recent San Francisco history, Jimmy Garoppolo was the team's No. 1 starter and Trey Lance was the obvious heir to the throne.
Factor in that the 49ers had give up a ton in a risky trade for the unproven Lance in the 2021 draft, and there was basically no way in the world that the final pick of the 2022 draft was ever going to become San Francisco's starting QB.
Unless it turned out that Brock Purdy, also known as Mr. Irrelevant, really was the best QB on the roster and the 49ers had gotten an absolute steal with the No. 262 pick.
York recently recalled a conversation with Shanahan in which the offensive-minded San Francisco coach predicted the future and wasn't afraid to admit that the 49ers had made errors in the past.
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“He’s like, ‘I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback,’ †York said. “I’m like, ‘OK, what does that mean?’ He’s like, ‘Well, obviously, we’ve invested in Trey. Trey is doing a good job. We’re going to do everything that we can. We’re not going to change that, and we’re not going to change the depth chart, but I think Brock will end up being our quarterback at some point.’ "
Garoppolo had an impressive run with San Francisco, going 38-17 as a starter and taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019 against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
But injuries limited Garoppolo's ultimate success, while Lance -- who also dealt with injuries -- failed to find a foothold in The Bay.
Enter Purdy, who was available at the perfect time and became an even better story for the 49ers as a rookie.
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Despite suffering a serious injury in the NFC Championship Game last season during a blowout loss to Philadelphia, Purdy rebounded in 2023 to produce an MVP-caliber campaign.
Now, the third-string QB drafted last in 2022 is one win away from winning the Super Bowl with the head coach who always believed in him.
“He (Shanahan) didn’t force it,†York said. “You had two injuries, and that’s how Brock ended up playing. But he’s always honest. One thing that owners don’t love to hear when they’ve invested money and/or draft picks, or both, into people is that the last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best. That’s generally not great news, but he’s honest, and he let it play out the right way.â€
Purdy is 17-4 with a 68.7 completion percentage, 5,654 yards, 44 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 111.4 rating since taking over the 49ers.
Those are Super Bowl numbers and Purdy clearly was the best answer for the 49ers -- even when he was No. 3 on the depth chart and never supposed to start.