49ers quarterback Brock Purdy recently revealing that head coach Kyle Shanahan was interested in having Tom Brady start over Purdy during the 2023 campaign has resulted in NFL insider Mike Florio reviving a rumor regarding Vikings veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins.
“The final decision likely will depend on what Purdy does when the stakes are the highest,” Florio wrote about the situation for a piece published Monday afternoon. “He didn’t have a spectacular game on Saturday night against the [Green Bay Packers], but San Francisco won. If Purdy doesn’t have a great game in either the NFC Championship or, if they win, in the Super Bowl [and they lose], will Shanahan’s eye wander again?”
ESPN stats show that Purdy ended the 2023 regular season leading the NFL among qualified quarterbacks with a 113.0 passer rating, a 72.8 adjusted QBR and an average of 9.6 yards per pass attempt. Despite that, critics have routinely labeled the 24-year-old a “game manager” unable to reach an elite level in Shanahan’s high-powered offense.
Meanwhile, Florio said last spring that “there was some noise” at the 2023 scouting combine among “people in the league” about Cousins possibly being traded to the 49ers before the draft. Cousins, 35, remains on track to reach free agency this March, is recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered on Oct. 29 and made it known as recently as last week that he’s interested in staying with Minnesota.
Shanahan previously served as Cousins’ offensive coordinator with Washington in 2012 and 2013.
“…We now know Shanahan preferred Brady to Purdy before 2023 started,” Florio added about the information shared in a story published by ESPN last week. “Will Shanahan decide he prefers Cousins (or someone else) to Purdy for 2024? Purdy is under contract for two more years, at very low, slotted salaries.”
The suggestion floated out there by Florio is that Purdy could be playing for his long-term starting job with the 49ers when they host the Detroit Lions in this Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. As of early Monday evening, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Niners as seven-point favorites for that matchup.
