49ers' Brock Purdy shares why he thought he was being cut as a rookie

Long before Brock Purdy became one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, he was the last pick of the 2022 draft, just trying to make the San Francisco 49ers' roster as the club's QB3 behind 2021 first-round selection Trey Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.

During the latest edition of the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, Purdy revealed that he was given quite a scare by head coach Kyle Shanahan three summers ago. 

"We're in the quarterback room, and then Kyle opened up the door," Purdy explained about the club making final roster cuts in 2022, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "He goes, 'Hey, Brock, can you grab your stuff and come talk to me?' I was like, 'Bro.' I was like, 'Am I getting cut?' I was like, 'Dang, dude.' And then he goes, 'No, I'm kidding. Set your stuff down.' He's like, 'Congrats, bro,' and then dapped me up."

Perhaps the funniest part about Shanahan's prank is that 49ers CEO Jed York told reporters last February that the coach suspected in the summer of 2022 that Purdy was the club's best quarterback. Purdy received an opportunity to prove Shanahan right in early December 2022 after both Lance and Garoppolo were sidelined with season-ending injuries, and the 49ers have never looked back. 

Thus far, Purdy has started in a pair of NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl during his tenure. Earlier this offseason, he signed a five-year, $265M contract extension that included $181M in guarantees and a no-trade clause. 

It seems Purdy didn't know he had won over Shanahan before the 2022 regular season got underway. 

"For me, I had no idea," Purdy added. "No one said anything to me. I was just trying to get a feel through my teammates and stuff. But all that, honestly, didn't matter. What mattered was me going out the next play and doing it again."

Lance is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, and there's no indication he'll ever become more than a journeyman backup at the highest level. One can only wonder what could have been had Lance stayed healthy through Purdy's rookie season.