49ers’ Brock Purdy addresses rival team winning Super Bowl in Levi’s Stadium
SAN FRANCISCO — Brock Purdy, the Toyota wonderkid, glowed under the dark Wednesday night as he coached the automobile company’s sponsored flag football game, featuring some of the Bay Area’s top girls high school players. In just a few short days, Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, will have to come to terms with the image of another team celebrating a Super Bowl on their home field.
“I mean, obviously, we all wanted that to be us,” Purdy said Wednesday at the Toyota Glow-Up Classic inside the Moscone Center. “That was the goal from the beginning of the season. We fell short of that. So, I mean, it is what it is. That’s how football operates. That’s the NFL. We’ve got to learn from it, regroup and be ready to attack next year.”
The appearance was Purdy’s first since the 49ers cleaned out their lockers following a 41-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. Seattle will play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers finished the season 13-6, including their two playoff games, which Purdy said was “pretty special” given the circumstances. San Francisco was one of the most injured teams in the NFL, including star defensive players Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, in addition to losing its top receiver, Brandon Aiyuk.
“With the injuries we were dealt with, the situation and everything, like, yeah, it was tough,” Purdy said. “But I’m really proud of a bunch of guys stepping up. Young guys, older guys, you name it. Having new guys come in like Eric Kendricks late in the year. For us to be able to win the way we did as a team was pretty special. But the ultimate goal is to win the whole thing, and we’ve got work to do.”
Purdy, who previously said the turf toe injury that cost him four games won’t require offseason surgery, said he planned to dedicate most of the downtime to his wife and their young daughter, who was born during training camp. His plans to get away from the gridiron may even lead him to a pickleball or basketball court, he added.
“It was a pretty hectic year with football, but then our little girl growing, so we’re gonna do a lot of family time, which is going to be a lot of fun,” Purdy said.
Eli Manning served as the game’s referee and said he wasn’t going to hesitate to eject Purdy “if he gets a little chirpy,” adding, “I’ve heard Brock likes to chirp a little bit at the refs.” The former New York Giants quarterback also said he believed Purdy and the 49ers’ had a “great” season.
“Obviously they had a lot of injuries and a lot going on, but offensively they played well,” Manning said. “You lose Kittle, you lose your receivers, but they found a way to win games. I thought (Purdy) had one of the better seasons that he’s had and had a great shot to make a run.”
Puka Nacua, the Rams wide receiver, was another coach along with Packers quarterback Jordan Love, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton and Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman, Jr. Like Purdy, Nacua’s season came to an end at the hands of the Seahawks a week later in the NFC Championship Game. The players’ envoy was held up in traffic for about 30 minutes, but the two didn’t find time to commiserate their shared fates.
“Honestly,” Nacua said, “I think we were all talking about the glow-up shirts we had on.”