49ers HC backs Brock Purdy after Super Bowl loss, but could veteran addition be considered?

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan praised second-year quarterback Brock Purdy ahead of what could become an interesting offseason for an organization that's lost a pair of Super Bowl games since February 2020.

"I thought Brock was unbelievable," Shanahan said during Tuesday's end-of-season news conference about Purdy's performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "I mean, everyone has plays in a game, every single person, that you want to take back. But Brock not turning the ball over in that game, making a number of plays ... at the very end of the game, to take us down to take the lead." 

In total, Purdy completed 23-of-38 passes for 255 yards with one touchdown against the Chiefs, and he guided his offense on an overtime drive that resulted in a go-ahead field goal. Unfortunately for Purdy and Shanahan, Kansas City superstar Patrick Mahomes answered with a game-winning drive en route to earning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors for the third time in his young career. 

"We didn't get it done, so all of us, obviously, could have done another thing," Shanahan continued. "But I was real happy with how Brock played [in the Super Bowl] and real happy with how he played this year. And I thought Brock was unbelievable. I mean, one of the most impressive seasons I've been around for a football player and a quarterback, and he was just a stud through it all."

It's now public knowledge that Shanahan wanted to start living legend Tom Brady over Purdy this past season, and some have speculated that the coach could pursue a veteran such as Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings this spring. Shanahan was Cousins' offensive coordinator with Washington in 2012 and 2013. 

Brady, meanwhile, seemingly is done playing for good and is all-in on becoming a limited partner with the Las Vegas Raiders as soon as next month. 

The harsh truth is that Purdy didn't do enough during the playoffs to end debates regarding whether or not he was merely a "game manager" in his second pro campaign. 

According to ESPN stats, the 24-year-old ended the postseason ranked sixth among 14 qualified players with a 73.8 adjusted QBR, 11th with an 88.3 passer rating and 11th with a 61.1 percent completion percentage. He tallied three touchdown passes and one interception during the playoffs. 

Purdy's up-and-down performances in his final three games of the season could understandably cause Shanahan and company to at least evaluate their plans for the sport's most important position before the new NFL year opens in March.