NFL icon Tom Brady will be involved in history yet again when he faces San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy on Sunday night.
Purdy was just five days old when Brady played his final college game for Michigan. In fact, all he knows when it comes to the NFL landscape is Brady dominating, winning Super Bowls as he established himself as the GOAT.
The quarterback - who was selected with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to be known as Mr Irrelevant - came in for Jimmy Garoppolo after his foot injury. Purdy threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns as well as an interception in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins last week.
Another milestone will be set when Brady takes on Purdy. The 22-year-old will be the seventh quarterback to make his first career NFL start against Brady, joining Luke McCown, Matt Flynn, Tyler Palko, Jake Locker, EJ Manuel and Luke Falk.
When Purdy faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he will go up against Brady. When asked about what it means to face the NFL icon, Purdy said: “I think it's awesome in terms of Tom Brady coming and playing and playing his team, but at the same time, I'm playing the defence.
“I'm going to be going up against those guys rather than Tom himself, but definitely still awesome to have Tom Brady come and play on the same field and compete against our team. I think it's awesome, so really excited about it.”
Purdy is taking on history when he faces Brady; the other six quarterbacks who made their first starts against the Bucs star have lost. However, Purdy could have the best chance thanks to a loaded roster that features the league's top-ranked defence and an offence with playmakers like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.
Remarkably, Purdy only received a handful of reps in practice during the offseason program. However, he impressed his coaches and teammates at training camp and the preseason to beat out Nate Sudfeld for a roster spot as a backup behind Trey Lance and Garoppolo.
“I’ve always believed that I don't care what slot, what round, what pick that I get picked or if I was undrafted, my whole thing was, man, I just want to go out and, and prove to myself that I can play at this level,” Purdy added. “That's always been my mentality.
“Even though I was the last pick, that's just where I happened to fall in the draft.”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes Purdy’s fearlessness is what means he could be ready for the moment when he faces Brady. Shanahan said: “He's very aggressive in what he does.
“Sometimes that can keep both teams in the game, so that's stuff that you have to work on as you play more, but that's where you want to start with it. When a guy can make some plays like he does, he gives you a chance to win, but we have to figure out what's the best way to win with him.”
