Report: 49ers knew teams planned to claim Purdy off waivers in 2022 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Brock Purdy changed the entire trajectory of the 49ers franchise, but the young quarterback nearly found himself on a path that would have taken a sharp turn to another NFL organization during his rookie campaign.
San Francisco opted to keep Purdy on its active roster to begin the 2022 NFL season, a decision that was influenced by the 49ers having information that at least two other teams were considering submitting an exemption request in respect of him, ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler reported Tuesdayciting a front-office source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Purdy, selected by San Francisco with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draftshowed enough grit to the 49ers in his first training camp and preseason to prompt the organization to sacrifice a heavily covered position to keep the rookie quarterback on its active roster.
Purdy quickly validated San Francisco’s decision to keep three quarterbacks on its roster, shining from the moment he hit the Levi’s Stadium turf as the 49ers’ No. 1 quarterback after the season ended. Trey Lance Injuries And Jimmy Garoppolo.
The dice roll was very similar to that made by New England Patriots over 20 years ago when they decided to roll four quarterbacks into draft day because they didn’t want to lose a rookie signal-caller named Tom Brady.
San Francisco won the first seven games Purdy started before suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 NFC Championship which saw each of the 49ers’ two available quarterbacks go down with injuries, drastically altering what could have been an epic matchup between two NFC heavyweights.
In the wake of San Francisco’s tragic loss to Philadelphia, the NFL has imposed an updated rule change that allows teams to have a third emergency quarterback who can dress on game days without counting against the 48-man roster limit.
That opens the door for players like Purdy to find their way onto NFL rosters, potentially creating pathways for quarterbacks who might otherwise have seen their football dreams unceremoniously ended before realizing their potential.
Fortunately for the 49ers, Purdy has found his groove with the Red and Gold, and now looks set to be San Francisco’s franchise quarterback for years to come.
