Brock Purdy Reflects on his Journey After Deal With 49ers

Brock Purdy needed to take some time to reflect on his journey after his deal with the 49ers.

Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy wasn't supposed to be here.

When the San Francisco 49ers drafted him with the last pick in 2022, he was supposed to be nothing more than a training camp body.

Seventh-round players rarely have any use, especially a quarterback who was a fringe undrafted free agent. Purdy was never going to see the field with Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

That all changed when injuries to both Lance and Garoppolo took place. Suddenly, the career path for Purdy altered. He was granted the opportunity of a lifetime and made the most of it.

As a result, Purdy gets a contract extension to quarterback the 49ers for the foreseeable future. This accomplishment was such a gratifying moment for him that he needed to take some time to reflect on his journey.

"I definitely have done some reflecting and just the process of all of it, not trying to be somebody that I'm not and rush the process of being a football player and getting better. Obviously, my recruiting process was late, third-string quarterback going into my freshman year, then getting thrown into the starting role, getting drafted last, making the team, being a backup the whole season and Week 13, getting thrown in and then leading the Niners from that moment on.

"So, there's just been a process to this whole thing in life. That's what I'm trying to wrap my head around is, as a kid, obviously you see all these guys on tv, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and you want to be that one day. And for me, what I've realized, it just doesn't happen overnight, you’ve got to go through good, bad, tough times, the hard workouts, all the things to get there and how you respond to adversity and all the things."

It doesn't matter whether people think he is a good quarterback or not. What cannot be taken away from him is the work he put in and the amazing execution to take advantage of the opportunities in front of him.

Purdy's journey is what allowed him to get to where he is now and be the person and player he is today. Without that, he probably doesn't earn this extension and the immense trust and love the 49ers have in him.

"But man, am I grateful to be able to just stay the course and this is just my story. I haven't tried to live out anybody else's story. It's just been where God has had me and I've been all in on it. And extremely grateful to be in this position and it fires me up more than anything to want to continue to get better and help this organization win.

"And nothing is set in stone yet in terms of how we are as a team or this year or the future going forward. It's every single day I have to come in and be present and work to earn success and just do my part for this team. So, I'm excited.”