Kyle Shanahan reveals how he wanted Tom Brady to take over for Brock Purdy
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the team did have interest in bringing Tom Brady out of retirement. Last offseason, Brady was linked to the 49ers and Shanahan says there was interest in bringing him back.
In the 2022 NFL season, San Francisco dealt with several quarterback injuries, including Brock Purdy injuring his elbow in the NFC Championship game. With there being some uncertainty about the elbow, Shanahan said he reached out to Brady and told Purdy he was the starter unless they had Brady.
“At the end of the season, when Brock got hurt and no one could guarantee that he was gonna be healthy in Week 1, there was a lot of speculation in it, I did wanna reach out to Tom. Tom was the only guy I was willing to ride in and risk with Brock’s injuries. I told Brock that," Shanahan said on The TK Show.
"I said, ‘Brock, in these 7 games you’ve shown us. You’re not gonna be competing with Trey next year. If you come back healthy, it is your job. The only way it won’t be your job is if Tom Brady decided to come here and play one year,'" Shanahan added.
Had Brady come out of retirement to play for the 49ers last season, it would have seemingly come out of nowhere. But, Brady opted to remain retired and Shanahan and San Franciso stayed with Purdy who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance.
Brock Purdy understood 49ers pursuit of Tom Brady
Although Brock Purdy had a solid rookie season, as he took over as the starting quarterback going 114-for-170 for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
However, due to the elbow injury, San Francisco was looking at signing Brady, and after the 49ers confirmed they tried to get him, Purdy said he understood it.
"I remember him (Shanahan) 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,'" Purdy said (via FOX News).
Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, so had San Francisco been able to sign him for one year, Purdy would have understood and learned from him. However, the deal did not get done, and Purdy remains the 49ers starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
The 49ers will open their 2024 season at home on Sept.9 on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets.