Super Bowl-winning head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs witnessed all he needed from Brock Purdy last season to assure him that the San Francisco 49ers are in capable hands at the quarterback position. Purdy was an MVP nominee in 2023 and had his 49ers just a play or two away from clinching a Super Bowl victory away from the Chiefs.
Unfortunately, for Purdy and the 49ers, Reid and his own quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, widely regarded as the best in the game today, dashed their Super Bowl dreams in overtime last month.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area, speaking at the NFL owners meetings on Monday, Reid stated, "Yeah, I have a lot of respect for Brock. He does a nice job. I really don't care where he got drafted, right? It doesn't matter to me."
The 49ers selected Purdy with the last overall draft pick—number 262—in 2022. As a rookie, he was thrust into the starting lineup following injuries to two other quarterbacks, and he has held the position ever since.
Last season, Purdy set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards while tossing 31 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. His 113.0 passer rating in 2023 led the NFL.
"He's just a good player," Reid commented on Purdy. "He sees the field. He's got good accuracy, great timing with his receivers, and he's calm. You feel like he has everything kind of under control."
Reid's counterpart in that February contest in Las Vegas, head coach Kyle Shanahan, suffered his second Super Bowl loss since becoming the head coach of the 49ers.
According to ESPN, when asked what advice he might offer Shanahan to help him overcome this hurdle, Reid responded, "Just keep doing what you're doing and somewhere you pop over the hill there. I know he's got a great young quarterback and him with a great young quarterback is deadly."
Reid admits that Super Bowl 58 could have gone either way, calling the game a "toss-up." Shanahan and the 49ers look to rebound and return to that championship stage during the upcoming season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid on #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and getting over the hump to win a Super Bowl:
"Just keep doing what you're doing and somewhere you pop over the hill there. I know he's got a great young quarterback and him with a great young quarterback is deadly."
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 25, 2024