Tom Brady recently explained why he chose to turn down any offers to be a quarterback for the 2023 season.
Per an ESPN report, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to sign Brady this past offseason and use Brock Purdy as the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s backup. As discussed previously by Andrew Kusleika with GH, Purdy told Shanahan he would have been okay sitting behind Brady this season, even though Purdy wanted to keep the starting job:
Had Shanahan been successful, he would have moved current starting quarterback Brock Purdy to the bench. In an article from ESPN, Shanahan told Purdy that this was the only scenario in which he would not be the starter coming into the 2023-2024 season. Purdy understood, but he wasn’t too thrilled about the prospect of sitting on the bench.
“That meant so much to me,” Purdy said. “I remember him saying, if we can get Tom Brady, we’re going to try to get him. And I was like, ‘Yeah, he’s the GOAT. I get it.’ But something deep down inside me was sort of like, ‘Dude, I just showed you that I can play well in this system. And we were one game away from the Super Bowl.’ … More than anything, I was like, ‘OK, now let’s go.’”
But Brady had other things in mind than leading an elite 49ers team to the Super Bowl.
Brady was a guest on the Pat McAfee Show this week. Brady was asked about teams trying to lure him back for one more season as a quarterback. Per the transcription of his answer by 49ers WebZone, Brady said he wanted to use this season to get ready for his job as a commentator on FOX during the 2024 season:
“Asked about his thoughts on teams like the 49ers continually inquiring about his desire to return to football, Brady said, “In this last season, there’s a lot of different things that people would suggest, but I kind of just kept my mind focused on where I wanted to go.
Again, this was a great year for me to sit back and watch and learn and get prepared for being in the FOX booth next year.”
The move appears to have worked out for both sides this season. Brady has been able to relax and let his body recover for an entire season for the first year in nearly three decades of playing football.
Purdy led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
But the 49ers will wish they had convinced Brady, a former 49ers fan, to return for one last season if Purdy can’t lead San Francisco to a victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Las Vegas.
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