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While Brock Purdy has emerged as one of the most-talked about quarterbacks in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers star lives an ordinary life at home.
Purdy, 23, has a roommate, 49ers offensive lineman Nick Zakelj, and they split rent. The second-year 49ers quarterback, who is engaged to Jenna Brandt, also talked about his Toyota Sequoia in addition to rooming with Zakelj during a recent interview with the “Today” show.
“And other than that, it’s pretty simple,” Purdy said about his life off of the field.
Despite what people would think about the life of a starting NFL quarterback, San Francisco @49ers QB Brock Purdy still has a roommate and drives his trusty Toyota Sequoia.
Members of the same 49ers draft class, Zakelj also talked about his experience living with Purdy since the 2022 season during an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. They connected via a mutual friend — former Iowa State linebacker Mike Rose.
“There’s a small-world aspect of it all,” Zakelj told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday.
Rose and Zakelj grew up together in Ohio. Purdy roomed with Rose at ISU.
“That’s how we got that connection,” Zakelj said regarding Purdy. “And the friendship took off from there.”
Nick Zakelj on Brock Purdy: ‘We’ve Started to Grill Out a Little More’
Zakelj likened it to a pair of post-university young adults simply living at the same place when they’re off the field. The Bay Area notably has one of the highest housing costs in the U.S., and both Purdy and Zakelj make under $1 million with their current rookie contracts.
“We’ve started to grill out a little more,” Zakelj said. “We switch off. He’s got the upper hand on me right now. But we just hang out and watch movies here and there when we have free time from football.”
Despite Purdy’s emerging status on the field, Zakelj sees a down-to-earth leader on and off of the field. Purdy has an 8-0 start to his career plus two playoff wins, and he has 21 touchdowns versus four interceptions in that span.
“He’s still a very humble guy. He still has that work ethic that’s contributed to his success on the field,” Zakelj said.
For now, Zakelj can enjoy having one of the league’s biggest names for a roommate — at least until Purdy and Brandt get married.
“People joke about having the starting quarterback as your roommate,” Zakelj said. “I think it’s funny from the outside.”
Who is Brock Purdy’s Fiancé?
Purdy’s rise from Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick in the 2022 draft to a successful starting quarterback has led to rising attention toward his fiancé.
They met at Iowa State in 2021 where Brandt played volleyball and Purdy was a backup quarterback for the Cyclones. She transferred 95 miles away to Northern Iowa during college to play volleyball in 2021, but they clearly stayed in touch.
Nothing went public, at least on social media, until November 2022 during Purdy’s rookie season — the month before his first career start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Purdy proposed to Brandt in July, which they shared on Instagram, amid his recovery from an elbow injury from the NFC Championship Game.
During the season, Brandt has been spotted numerous times at 49ers games, showing support for Purdy.
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Details Emerge on Brock Purdy’s 49ers Roommate