The All-Pro linebacker clearly saw something in Brock Purdy right out of the gate.
In a recent podcast appearance, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy revealed when he knew players on the team started to take notice of his play.
It seems linebacker Fred Warner knew Purdy was special from the beginning.
The clip where Purdy talks about this can be viewed below on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, shared by @Coach_Yac on social media:
https://x.com/Coach_Yac/status/1942632387369714166
If you cannot access the post, Purdy says, "Before the first preseason game, we’re at the end of practice and we come in and I could see Fred [Warner] talking to Trent [Williams]. For some reason, I saw them talking and I saw Fred say, 'I can’t wait to watch this Purdy kid at the preseason game tomorrow against the Packers.' At this point my head was down and just trying to do good at practice and all that. But I was like, 'alright they are noticing. The starters, the guys, they’re seeing something.'"
That must have been such a cool moment for Purdy as a rookie. This is a guy who was taken with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he had Warner, arguably the best linebacker in the NFL, telling Williams, arguably the best left tackle in the NFL, that he was going to be someone to watch.
Warner was not the only one who was taking notice, though.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan also saw Purdy’s potential early on, even if he did play a prank on Purdy to make him think he had been cut around that time. Prior to last year’s Super Bowl, he said that he pulled CEO Jed York aside prior to the 2022 season and told him he believed Purdy was the best quarterback on the team.
That proved to be prescient as Trey Lance has all but flamed out of the NFL, and Jimmy Garoppolo is now a backup for the Los Angeles Rams.
Purdy got his shot in 2022 when both Lance and Garoppolo went down with injuries, and he took full advantage of it. He led the team to the NFC Championship game that season and then the Super Bowl the next season. He was rewarded this offseason with a massive five-year extension. Warner even made a hilarious prediction about what Purdy's first purchase would be after his new deal.
Most 49ers fans probably felt the season was over back in 2022 when Purdy had to take over. But for those who had been watching him all along like Warner, they already knew the kid was special.
Now Purdy, Warner, and the rest of the Niners will look to take care of unfinished business in 2025 as they try to rebound from a tough, injury-riddled 2024 campaign.
