What's Next for Brock Purdy After Super Bowl Loss?

If you were rooting for one former Iowa State quarterback to lead his team to victory over the best quarterback in the NFL in Super Bowl LVIII, it was a sobering, disappointing evening. The Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Brock Purdy-led San Francisco 49ers 25-22. It might've taken overtime, but for the second time in five seasons, the Chiefs thumped the 49ers on the biggest stage.

As is customary for Super Bowls, the game started slow, but worked its way to a nail-biting finish that saw both teams tied at 19 at the end of regulation. Seemingly inevitably, Mahomes and the Chiefs defense put the game away in overtime. This is now the Chiefs' third Super Bowl victory in five years.

Faithful readers will know I've had a lot of fun covering the Brock Purdy story since December 2022, when he took over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. The rest is history. Purdy has been one of the most lovable and laudable players in the NFL, having been the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft only to become the 49ers' incumbent starter.

From Elbow Injury to Super Bowl:

From suffering a terrible injury in the NFC Championship Game last season to him not being 100% sure he'd even play this season, following his ascension has been a lot of fun. Seeing the Iowa State product play in a Super Bowl was a testament to how anything is truly possible in the NFL, regardless of where you were drafted.

But it's fair to wonder what lies ahead for the 49ers and Purdy following this loss. This is now the second Super Bowl loss for the 49ers under the tutelage of head coach Kyle Shanahan. Normally, a quarterback on his rookie deal who led his team to the Super Bowl, regardless of winning, would be next in line for a contract extension. However, NFL Insider Adam Schefter made fans know before the game that Brock Purdy is not eligible for a big pay-day quite yet:

It's funny to think that had Purdy not been selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the draft, he'd be contract eligible as of today. And yet, there's a good chance he wouldn't be a Niner if that was the case and therefore buried on a team's depth chart or even the practice squad. It's all relative, but it's no less an interesting hypothetical.

Is Brock Purdy Eligible for a New Contract?:

That said, the 49ers will likely stick with Purdy going forward. The former Iowa State QB performed fairly well in his first Super Bowl, completing 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown. He was efficient and workmanlike, and was humble in the face of defeat following the game:

It starts with [my] coach, that’s who I hurt for and for all the other guys, our whole team. What we’ve been through the last year hasn’t been easy. For it to go like that where it’s close at the end and it’s tough, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. - Brock Purdy following Super Bowl LVIII

Photo Credit: Michael Reaves, Getty Images

Purdy added that he was supremely thankful to have gotten the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl. You have to admire the kid's humility. He's been stoic and easy-to-root-for since he assumed the starting job for the 49ers.

Brock Purdy Became a 49er Thanks in Part to an Iowa Hawkeye:

Schefter also threw in this fascinating nugget about how Brock Purdy became a 49er. And it involved former Iowa Hawkeye quarterback C.J. Beathard:

In the 2017 NFL Draft in which they held the second overall pick, the 49ers did not study Patrick Mahomes because they believed they would be able to sign Kirk Cousins during 2018 free agency and reunite him with Kyle Shanahan. Those plans were scuttled when the Patriots and offered and traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers in October 2017. But the one QB the 49ers did trade up to get in the 2017 draft was C.J. Beathard, whom they selected in the third round, 104th overall. Beathard eventually left San Francisco to sign with Jacksonville and, in return, the 49ers got a compensatory 2022 7th-round pick that they used on … Brock Purdy. - Adam Schefter, per Twitter/X