When Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch Knew Brock Purdy was 49ers’ Starting QB

How Brock Purdy became the starting QB.

Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) leaves the field following an NFC Divisional Round game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy’s remarkable rise to becoming the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers is still something special.

Last pick of the draft, and then, as fate would have it, he was given an opportunity after season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022. That meant Purdy had to come in against the Miami Dolphins, and he never relinquished the starting position after that.

"Brock was coming back, and boom, tight window," reflected general manager John Lynch on the Tom Tolbert Show. "We were kind of looking at each other, and then we're looking around, and see Trent Williams looking at [George] Kittle.

"Everyone kind of felt it early because he was going out and just playing on instinct and raw ability and just letting it rip, as Kyle says, and it was impressive. He did it right away, and it was noticeable right away.

"Now, did we know he'd be as good as he would become, as early as he [did]? No, we didn't know that."

Jun 10, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (left) and general manager John Lynch watch their team work out during an OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

San Francisco defeated the Miami Dolphins 33–17, with Purdy throwing for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 25 completions from 37 attempts, along with one interception.

“That night in bed, than might’ve been the first time where I was like 'We might have something special'," added head coach Kyle Shanahan.

"Because I was so sick because I thought we had such a good team and Trey Lance was already on IR and Jimmy Garoppolo just broke his ankle…

"I’m home that night not even thinking about the game, I was just like how we’re down to our last quarterback. We had such a good team and once I stopped thinking about it in bed, I was like 'Holy s*it. Brock played unbelievable tonight'.

"I remember coming to work that Monday, just like, 'We got a shot, and it doesn't look like it, but we might be playing with our best guy now.'" Shanahan said. "And it showed. We didn't lose a game after that until he tore his UCL in the NFC Championship."

Then the rest is history. Purdy led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter, then after one down year, followed it up with a trip to the divisional round last year, continuing one of the league’s most unlikely success stories in recent memory.

The final pick of the draft leading one of the biggest NFL franchises is what dreams are made of.