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Brock Purdy's rise from the bottom of the NFL Draft toward the top of the game has been nothing short of spectacular. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback may not be the flashiest, and he doesn't have the biggest arm in the NFL, but he keeps managing games and picking up wins. Entering Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings, Purdy had a career record of 10-1 in the regular season, and just five interceptions to 23 touchdowns.
As it turns out, Minnesota might have had a chance to acquire Purdy had San Francisco not made the former Iowa State signal-caller the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The near-miss looks like one that could haunt the franchise and its fans for years to come.
Vikings' "heavy pursuit" of Purdy
ESPN on Monday reported that Purdy was seriously considering signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. The quarterback himself has said that Minnesota was an option for him, along with the 49ers and the Houston Texans -- who now have a young, emerging franchise quarterback of their own in C.J. Stroud.
The Vikings have opted to hold onto Kirk Cousins, even as his contract winds down next spring. Cousins and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan worked together in Washington, and rumors in the past have linked Cousins with San Francisco to reunite with Shanahan.
However, that possibility no longer appears to exist. While Cousins' future in Minnesota is uncertain, San Francisco is ready to move forward into the future with Purdy.
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Missed opportunity for Minnesota
The Vikings' future at the quarterback position is unclear, and their fans would love to have a 23-year-old under center who already ranks among the NFL's most efficient signal-callers.
Entering Monday night, Purdy was rolling along at a 67.5 percent completion rate in 2023, with a ratio of 10 touchdowns to just one interception. Purdy's 111.9 quarterback rating was the best in the NFL going into the game at U.S. Bank Stadium -- which he could have called home had San Francisco not made the fortuitous decision to select him with the 262nd pick of the 2022 draft.