49ers HC Shanahan Questioned Brock Purdy 'Talking S--t to' Aaron Rodgers as a Rookie

Brock Purdy was selected with the final pick of the 2022 draft, but the San Francisco 49ers quarterback never lacked confidence.

Speaking to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recalled questioning his quarterback early in his rookie campaign when Purdy did Aaron Rodgers' "discount double check" celebration after throwing a game-winning touchdown pass in his first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

"I was like, 'Dude, what are you doing?'" Shanahan said. "'You're a rookie. You can't be doing that. What are you talking s--t to Aaron?' He is like, 'No dude, I have no idea what happened. I was just excited and out there playing.' He has a passion to him and a competitiveness and it's real. And I think he had that right when he got here."

The play was emblematic of what Purdy has done to help the offense since he took over as the starting quarterback late in the 2022 season after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. His first read wasn't open, so he scrambled to his right and found Tanner Hudson in the front corner of the end zone.

If Purdy needs to carry that type of swagger to succeed, it's served him well so far in his NFL career. The 24-year-old has led the 49ers to a 17-4 record in 21 starts over the past two seasons.

Purdy set the 49ers single-season record with 4,280 passing yards. His 31 touchdown passes were the most by a San Francisco quarterback since Jeff Garcia in 2001.

Expectations are sky high for the 49ers as they prepare for their first playoff game on Saturday. They went 12-5 and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the 10th time in franchise history.

Four of the previous nine times San Francisco was the top seed in the postseason, it went on to win the Super Bowl. The last time it happened was 2019 when the team advanced to Super Bowl 54 before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Purdy and the 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET.