Tom Brady had the opportunity to play against Brock Purdy in his first time starting for the San Francisco 49ers two years ago. The five-time Super Bowl MVP and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited Levi’s Stadium in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season to face the 49ers, with Purdy filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo who was injured in a prior game.
While commentating on Sunday’s game between the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals, Brady recounted how the then-rookie Purdy, whom he called “Mr. Irrelevant,” shattered his initial impression of the young quarterback that day.
“In his first start, I was actually playing for the Bucs. And we said, ‘Oh God, we get to go in and grapple.’ And we got this guy Purdy,” Tom Brady recalled. “’Oh, we have a shot today, Mr. Irrelevant,’ and I’m sitting on the sideline, and I’m like, ‘How is Mr. Irrelevant carving us up? Is our defense that bad?’ It turns out that Brock is just that good.”
A week prior to their match against the Bucs, Purdy completed 25 of his 37 pass attempts against the Miami Dolphins, racking up 210 and two touchdowns for a 33-17 win. The 49ers would then end up humbling the Buccaneers, 35-7. Brock Purdy, the final pick in that year’s draft, became the first quarterback ever to surpass Tom Brady in his first start.
Purdy and the 49ers would go on to win six following games: four regular-season games against the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals, the wild card game against the Seahawks, and the divisional playoff against the Dallas Cowboys. The team ultimately failed to win the conference championship when Purdy couldn’t make it to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to injury,
Tom Brady praised Brock Purdy after his first career start
Tom Brady congratulated the then-first-time starting quarterback Brock Purdy after his Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a 35-7 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
Purdy’s first career start was a very successful one, capped by postgame congratulations from the NFL’s most accomplished quarterback.
“It was surreal just standing there like, man, that’s Tom Brady talking to guys and dapping guys up. For him to have respect for what I did, it was pretty cool. I’m not going to lie,” Purdy said in the postgame interview. “Being a little kid, watching that guy kill it throughout all these years in Super Bowls, to be able to give him a high five at the end was pretty cool.”
Purdy got the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant” after being selected as the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft. After the 49ers’ decisive win over the Buccaneers, the team’s official Twitter (now X) account tweeted, dubbing him “Mr. Relevant.”
Brock Purdy is currently in his third season with the 49ers, while Tom Brady currently serves as a color commentator/analyst for Fox Sports. The network promised a contract for the seven-time Super Bowl champion in 2022 after he retired “for good,” which he did the following year.
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