Tom Brady dishes out nothing but compliments to Brock Purdy, 49ers

Since he's no longer playing, Tom Brady might be going back to his boyhood fandom of the 49ers. And Brock Purdy, too.

Did you know that former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady used to be a San Francisco 49ers fan?

Did you know Brady was actually in attendance for "The Catch" between the Niners and Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship game?

Unless you're awfully new to football, you've probably heard these facts about Brady for quite some time. In addition to him being the greatest quarterback to ever play the game (yes, it's been time for San Francisco fans to pass over that title from Joe Montana to Brady), the GOAT also knows a thing or two about being overlooked.

Not quite unlike how many a fan, scout, general manager and team overlooked the 49ers' current starting quarterback, Brock Purdy.

Purdy, ironically enough, got his first win as a pro over Brady and the Bucs late in 2022 in what was supposed to be the latter's homecoming to the Bay Area.

Except Purdy and the Niners spoiled that.

But pick No. 199 overall from the 2000 NFL Draft hasn't stopped thinking about Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Tom Brady a fan of Brock Purdy, says 49ers QB is 'kind of a fun story'

Brady is easily proof that the NFL Draft is a massive craps shoot. Top-10 picks can be busts, and sixth- or seventh-round picks can become superstars.

How many teams overlooked Brady multiple times? The same number that overlooked Purdy.

Speaking on his Let's Go! podcast, via Athlon Sports, Brady paid plenty of compliments toward Purdy and didn't hesitate to mention how going well above expectations is working in the latter's favor:

"You don't hear of guys like Brock Purdy until Brock Purdy's doing amazing things out on the field, so it's kind of a fun story and I hope it continues for him because he seems like he's a really humble young man, and he wants to go out there and do great things. I think the more you have that chip on your shoulder like he does, and there were not quite the expectations, it's nice to go out there and continue to prove people wrong."

You can listen to the full podcast below:

Purdy, whose Niners are out to a 5-0 start, leads the NFL in plenty of passing categories and stats.

And while he might not be the current frontrunner for league MVP, if he continues playing the way he is right now, there'll be no way to keep him out of the discussion when 2023 comes to a close.

Related story: Brock Purdy has insanely high MVP odds amid 49ers hot streak

Tom Brady dishes out more love for his boyhood 49ers

Sure, Brady is probably keeping tabs on his former teams, the Pats and Bucs. Why wouldn't he?

But, assuming he's still vested in his Bay Area roots, one has to think he's interested in San Francisco, right?

Of course. And he is.

Brady also showered the 49ers with praise on their 5-0 start, drawing some comparisons to the dominant teams he played with during times in New England and even Tampa Bay:

"[The 49ers are] doing a great job, and I played [Purdy] last year, and they've got a great team. I played on a lot of great teams over the years, too, and what did we do? We controlled the line of scrimmage, we ran the ball well, we stopped the run, they rushed the passer. They've been playing with leads, and I give coach [Kyle] Shanahan a lot of credit, too, because he's done a great job."

Perhaps the only regret is that Shanahan and the Niners didn't call upon Brady to end his playing career in the Bay Area, which would have likely been his dream job.

At least Brady can root for both Purdy and San Francisco from afar, though.

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