49ers wanted Tom Brady to be their quarterback in 2023 before settling on Brock Purdy, per report

For the second straight year, Brock Purdy has led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship game, but if Kyle Shanahan had gotten his way during the offseason, Purdy would NOT have been the team’s starting quarterback this season. 

According to ESPN.com, Shanahan was actually hoping to have Tom Brady as his quarterback during the 2023 season, but it seems that the seven-time Super Bowl champion turned him down. 

The 49ers’ 2022 season ended with a loss to the Eagles in the NFC title game and at some point after that loss, Shanahan told Purdy that he would be the team’s starter in 2023 unless the 49ers could convince Tom Brady to come out of retirement. 

“I remember him saying, ‘if we can get Tom Brady, we’re going to try to get him,'” Purdy said of a conversation he had with Shanahan. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s the GOAT. I get it.'”

Purdy understood, but he wasn’t thrilled with the decision. 

“Something deep down inside me was sort of like, ‘Dude, I just showed you that I can play well in this system,” Purdy said. “And we were one game away from the Super Bowl.’ … More than anything, I was like, ‘OK, now let’s go.'”

It’s not clear if the 49ers had any serious contact with Brady, but Shanahan was clearly serious about the idea if he sat Purdy down to let him know his plan. Brady announced his retirement on Feb. 1 and when he retired, he was a free agent, which means he would have been allowed to sign with any team. 

If Brady turned down the 49ers offer to return in 2023, that means he’s likely done for good, because that’s the one team he’s always wanted to play for. 

According to “It’s better to be feared,” a book by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Brady was hoping to end his career with the 49ers and he was hoping to sign with them after he became a free agent in 2020. According to the book, Brady actually reached out to his good friend Wes Welker, who had just finished his first season as the receivers coach for the 49ers. During the conversation, which happened at some point after the 49ers lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, Brady made it clear he would immediately sign with the 49ers if they would have him. 

Brady was a huge 49ers fan as a kid. He was even at Candlestick Park for one of the most iconic plays in NFL history: Dwight Clark’s catch in the 1981 NFC title game. 

So if Brady wanted to play for the 49ers, why didn’t he ever end up in San Francisco? 

According to the book, Brady got passed over in 2020 because the coaching staff didn’t feel like he would be much of an upgrade over Jimmy Garoppolo. After Shanahan heard about Brady’s interest, he approached his offensive assistants. They watched every throw Brady made during his final season with the Patriots in 2019, and they just didn’t feel like it was worth it to replace Garoppolo. Remember, after the 2019 season, Garoppolo was coming off a Super Bowl appearance while Brady was coming off one of the worst seasons of his career.  

After whiffing on Brady in 2020, it seems that Shanahan wanted to fix his mistake, but Brady had no interest in helping him. Although the 49ers didn’t end up with Brady as their starting QB, they’re likely fine with that since Purdy just led them to another NFC Championship game. 

San Francisco will be hosting either Detroit or Tampa Bay on Jan. 28, with the winner going to the Super Bowl.