San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch can't pinpoint the exact moment when head coach Kyle Shanahan first informed him that then-rookie quarterback Brock Purdy might be the team's best quarterback. On Thursday, 49ers CEO Jed York recounted the story of when Shanahan shared this groundbreaking insight.
Shanahan approached York early during the 2022 training camp, wanting to discuss the last overall pick in the draft.
"And he's like, 'I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback,'" York said. This revelation might have raised eyebrows, given the significant investment the 49ers had made in Trey Lance.
Fortunately, the gamble paid off for York's organization. Purdy eventually ascended to the role of the 49ers' starting quarterback and has them within one victory of the franchise's sixth championship.
Lynch vividly recalls the moment when Shanahan divulged this information to York.
"I was there when he told Jed that," Lynch told reporters on Friday. "My jaw hit the floor. He had told me that, but I didn't think—Kyle often runs things by me to see if they're crazy. Kyle and I had been talking. I mean, we liked Brock early, but it was in a really limited fashion that we had seen him. So I think we had a hunch that we had a chance to have something special, and Kyle is about as direct as person [as you can work with]. He's really easy to work with because there's no gray area.
"And so Jed told the story, but I think where I'm at right now, we've got a huge challenge in front of us. So looking back and all that, that's fun, but the great thing is, I guess Kyle was fairly prophetic that day because [Purdy has] turned into a pretty special player for us, and we're really pleased about that."
John Lynch said his "jaw hit the floor" when Kyle Shanahan told Jed York that he thought Brock Purdy was the 49ers' best quarterback in 2022 training camp 😂 pic.twitter.com/okUNyMfdx4
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) February 2, 2024
