San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York has always admired coach Kyle Shanahan’s candor, dating back to his first interview when he described the team’s roster as the worst in the NFL.
So York wasn’t sure what to expect when Shanahan informed him he needed to chat about a week into 2022 training camp.
“He’s like, ‘I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback,'” York said on Thursday, as his team prepared for the Super Bowl. “I am like, ‘OK. “What does that mean?”
It meant a lot because the 49ers had traded three first-round picks to draft Trey Lance third overall a little more than a year before and still had Jimmy Garoppolo and his more than $20 million salary on the roster after helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2019 and the NFC title game the year before.
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“One thing that owners don’t love to hear when they’ve invested money and or draft picks or both into people is that the last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best,” York said in a statement. “That is often not good news. But he’s honest, and he let things play out the appropriate way.”
The Niners entered that season with Lance as the starter, Garoppolo returning as the No. 2 quarterback on a reduced salary, and Purdy as the third-stringer.
Lance was hurt in Week 2, so Garoppolo took over. Purdy made a brief appearance in a Week 7 loss to Kansas City, tossing an interception and another wayward pass into the stands.
“I may or may not have had some sarcastic comments here for Kyle postgame,” York went on to say.
However, when Garoppolo suffered an injury in Week 13, Purdy took over and has never looked back.
He won his first seven starts to lead the Niners to the NFC championship game, but an injured elbow on the first drive wrecked the game against Philadelphia.
That did not surprise York, who had planned for the possibility months before.
“When Brock took over last year, I think we had a calm about us, but there was a sense that nothing catches you by surprise,” York told reporters. “You might not love everything that Kyle tells you, but he’s always open and honest, especially in the moment.”
That performance cemented him as the starter, with Lance being dealt to Dallas in August for a fourth-round pick.
Purdy returned from his elbow injury and performed even better this season, topping the league in passer rating (113) and yards per attempt (9.6) while setting a franchise record with 4,280 yards passing.
That earned him a berth as an MVP finalist and gave York’s Niners a chance to win the Super Bowl, which had eluded him since taking over day-to-day operations from his parents in late 2008.
The 49ers lost Super Bowls in 2012 and 2019, as well as four additional NFC title games, before returning to the Super Bowl this season in hopes of winning the franchise’s first championship in 29 seasons.
York described losing in the NFC championship game as “the worst feeling in the world,” but his Super Bowl experiences have not been much easier.
The Niners were 5 yards away from the go-ahead score in the final two minutes of Super Bowl 47 against Baltimore, and they had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 54 against the Chiefs before falling 31-20.
“When you’re up 10 points against a team in the Super Bowl, you’re thinking, ‘Wow, we’re going to have a parade. Someone’s going to Disneyland. “This is going to be great,” York said. “Then don’t. That is a part of playing in the NFL.”
The Niners have another chance at Kansas City on February 11 in Las Vegas, and York is relishing the prospect.
“You never know when you’re going to have the opportunity to be here,” he told me. “You need to make the most of it. “You must celebrate it.”
