Last month, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy made some headlines when he shockingly revealed that head coach Kyle Shanahan told him he wanted to sign Tom Brady as the team’s starting quarterback to start over him. It was a pretty shocking revelation, and Shanahan confirmed it this week.
During an interview with NFL insider Peter King for his Football Morning in America column on Monday, Kyle Shanahan confirmed that he did indeed want to sign Tom Brady during the offseason.
“Yes, I was serious about it,” Shanahan said. “As we talked, I’m looking at Brock, and he’s got his arm in a sling, and I really am not sure I’ve got a quarterback who’s going to be ready for the start of the 2023 season. That started all of this.”
Shanahan explained that he didn’t mean it as a slight to Purdy.
“I actually thought it was giving Brock the biggest compliment,” Shanahan said. “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. 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?’
“I mean, if Brock never got hurt, this wouldn’t have been a consideration at all. I’d never have brought it up. But I’ve got to think about the team. What if he’s not ready in September?”
Obviously, this is pretty shocking news that Shanahan confirmed, and it led to a lot of reactions on social media.
Tom literally had ring number 8 locked up and just decided to quit. I lost some respect.
— ConCon (@concon_d0) February 5, 2024
This underscores how ready Tom Brady was to retire. I believed he would only return for a guaranteed Super Bowl contender, but not even the allure of playing for his childhood team, the 49ers, could sway him. Brady was truly finished. https://t.co/MHan6mtzR7
— Doctor Gridiron (@DrGridiron_MD) February 5, 2024
This is an incredible spin job by Kyle. Wonder how he’s gonna spin it when he goes after Kirk this off season. https://t.co/yiY2tkOy5l
— jc (@Trinsanity51) February 5, 2024
Can we now say that Trey lance never had a fair shot. Is it ok for yall to admit this now? Brock was still in a sling. Meaning that he wanted Tom if Brock wasn’t ready. Not Trey. So there was no competition. https://t.co/X4yFLsoful
— True Lies (@TrueLies6) February 5, 2024
Did Tom say, "Thanks, but no," or did he say something more colorful because we passed on him (again) back in 2020? 🤔🤦♂️
— Scott 💉👍🫡🇺🇸🇺🇦 #NAFO (@pheight57) February 5, 2024
That's one thing that I admire about Kyle, good or bad… He's direct, upfront and doesn't hide from these types of questions. That's a sign of a really good coach.
— 👻Frank Rodriguez 👻 (@F_Rodriguez__) February 5, 2024
It ultimately didn’t happen. But it’s still fun to think about.
