Brock Purdy and the 49ers will face Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium for “Monday Night Football” action, but that could have been a completely different story.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert and Nick Wagoner reported Monday, citing multiple sources, that the Vikings had been heavily pursuing Purdy in the final hours of the 2022 NFL Draft in hopes of signing the Iowa State product to a UDFA deal. Purdy told ESPN last week that he is considering the 49ers, Houston Texans and Vikings if he goes undrafted.
Of course, San Francisco ended up selecting Purdy with the very last pick in the draft, and the 23-year-old quarterback has since emerged as the starter after former 49ers quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were injured last season.
But the connection between Cousins and 49ers goes back beyond the 2022 draft. Cousins and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan worked together for two years in Washington, where Shanahan played a large role in Washington drafting Cousins. The two have a close relationship and in 2017, the 49ers reached out to Washington about trading their No. 2 pick for Cousins, but Washington never returned the call.
Rumors of a possible reunion between Cousins and Shanahan surfaced again in 2018, but San Francisco acquired Garoppolo from the New England Patriots instead.
Five years later, Cousins’ future in the Midwest is unclear as he becomes a free agent after the 2023 season. The 49ers now appear to have found a long-term answer at quarterback.
Purdy entered Week 7 leading the league in QBR (76.9) and is making a strong case for NFL MVP honors after leading the 49ers to five straight wins before falling by two points to the Cleveland Browns last week lost.
There’s no telling how things would have turned out if Cousins and Purdy were in opposite positions, but it’s safe to say things worked out for the best for the 49ers.
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