Brock Purdy: I Want to Channel Tom Brady Energy, Be ‘Dominant’ for 49ers in 2024

Adam WellsJuly 27, 2024

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

After reaching the Super Bowl and finishing fourth in MVP voting during his first full season as a starting quarterback, San Francisco 49ers star Brock Purdy is raising his expectations for 2024 and beyond.

Speaking to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, Purdy explained his mentality is to “be dominant” and channel the type of energy that Tom Brady used to have in games:

“With as good of a team that we have, I want to get to that point where we get to the third quarter, there’s a couple of drives that are crucial, I’m on top of my stuff, we convert on third downs, and we score touchdowns and the lead just gets out of hand. It’s having that Tom Brady kind of feeling. Late in the game, it always felt like Tom was just gonna take over and not make it close. I feel like I can get to that.”

Purdy also spoke about changing his mindset from last season when things would get complacent if the 49ers had a big advantage.

“There were moments last year in games where I would just — I don’t know what it was in the situation — but we’d be up and it’s, ‘Alright, be smart with the ball,’ or ‘Let’s just make sure we don’t mess up.’ I want to break through that and get to this point of just being dominant, for four quarters, man. That’s my mindset,” he said.

Purdy’s decision to invoke Brady’s name may have been purely coincidental, but ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported in January that head coach Kyle Shanahan told the 24-year-old last offseason he would be the team’s starter unless they could get Brady.

Brady wound up retiring for good, giving Purdy the keys to the team that he helped go 5-0 at the end of the 2022 season before tearing his UCL in the first quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Amid questions about his recovery from the injury and concerns about his ability to replicate the success he had in a handful of games as a rookie, Purdy exceeded all expectations in 2023.

The Iowa State alum set a 49ers franchise record with 4,280 passing yards and led the league with a 72.8 QBR. He became the first San Francisco quarterback to throw for at least 30 touchdowns in a season since Jeff Garcia in 2001.

San Francisco earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 12-5 record. Purdy led the Niners to comeback wins over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in the postseason to reach the Super Bowl.

Purdy played well in the game with 255 passing yards and one touchdown, but the 49ers lost 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

Barring any trades before the start of the regular season, the Niners will bring back all 11 offensive starters from 2023. That unit had the best DVOA and ranked third in the NFL in points per game (28.9).

If Purdy can level up once again, the 49ers’ ongoing quest to win their sixth Super Bowl title could finally end this season.