Getty Brock Purdy has Kirk Cousins' respect.
Timing never worked for Kirk Cousins to join forces with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, but the quarterback likes what he sees in Brock Purdy.
“Brock has a great chance of winning league MVP,” Cousins said on “The Adam Schefter Podcast” on Monday. “He’s running the system at a very high level. I told him after we played him …, ‘Hey, I played in this system. … You’re only in your second year. And what you did in your first year and your second year is incredible. … It’s really impressive.”
Cousins played with Shanahan when they were in Washington together from 2012 to 2013. The two remained tied in subsequent free agency and trade speculation, but Purdy ultimately became the 49ers’ guy in 2022 and this year.
“Kyle, I know he’s been in my corner my whole career,” Cousins said. “But I also think he’s very much in Brock’s corner, and knows he’s got a great player in Brock. And I think that’s going to suit him pretty well.”
Trent Williams and Jon Feliciano to Brock Purdy after the back shoulder TD pass to Deebo Samuel:
“That’s a dot. That’s a dot.”
🎥: @49ers
Purdy has suited the 49ers well amid 3,795 yards passing for 29 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. He completes 69.8% of his passes, and he has a 119.0 quarterback rating.
“I think he’s only going to get better,” Cousins said.
Kyle Shanahan Tried to Get Kirk Cousins to San Francisco
When Shanahan became the 49ers head coach in 2017, he tried to trade with Washington for Cousins.
It fell through, which The Athletic’s Alec Lewis detailed. The 49ers were going to offer the No. 2 pick for Cousins, Lewis reported, but the pick got traded for the No. 3 spot followed by the selection of defensive end Solomon Thomas.
San Francisco had a shot at Cousins during free agency in 2018, but the 49ers had Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster and Cousins had a massive asking price. The Minnesota Vikings signed Cousins instead with an $84 million contract.
“I was on the franchise tag in Washington. And then, halfway through that season, they got Jimmy. And then I played out that season, obviously, and went to free agency,” Cousins said. “That was a team that may have been in the mix but instead was off the table. Because … he played lights out.”
Brock Purdy has more career playoff wins (2) than
Lamar Jackson
Jalen Hurts
Kirk Cousins
“I basically looked at my options in free agency. And it was a pretty easy choice that Minnesota would be the best spot for me,” Cousins continued.
Cousins will become a free agent in the offseason, but Purdy’s prowess makes a Cousins-Shanahan reunion all the more unlikely.
Former 49ers Quarterback Now Leading the Vikings
If the Vikings (7-7) visit the 49ers (11-3) in the playoffs, it may be because former 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens led them there.
Mullens took over weeks after Cousins sustained a season-ending Achilles injury. The Vikings cycled through quarterbacks Josh Dobbs and Jaren Hall until Mullens got his shot.
In his first start, Mullens threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns versus two interceptions in a 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Mullens has completed 76.1% of his passes with a 96.8 quarterback rating in his brief playing time.
San Francisco signed Mullens as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and he spent four seasons with the team. Mullens bounced around the league before he found his latest opportunity with the Vikings in 2022.