Brock Purdy may be one of my favorite storylines in the NFL this season. (Sorry Taylor Swift).
The quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers is in his second year in the NFL, after being drafted last in the 2022 NFL Draft, earning him the title of that year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Purdy started last season as the third-string quarterback for the 49ers, but injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo led to Purdy getting the starting job in week 14 – and going on to win all five games that he started in the regular season.
The Iowa State graduate then led the 49ers on an incredible run in the playoffs, with wins over the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys earning the 49ers a spot in the NFC Championship game, where the Cinderella run for Purdy would come to an end, one game away from the Super Bowl, with a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
But obviously the team was impressed with what they saw, earning Purdy the starting job for the 49ers in 2023.
And now, they’re one of only two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL – along with the Eagles, who kept them out of the big game last year.
Obviously Purdy has shed the label of “Mr. Irrelevant,” becoming one of the most successful players to ever be taken with the last pick in the draft.
But other than that, it doesn’t seem like much has changed in the 23-year old Arizona native’s life.
Purdy revealed during a recent interview that, despite becoming one of the biggest breakout stars in the NFL, he still lives with a roommate, 49ers offensive lineman Nick Zakelj, and the two of them split their rent.
“So I still have a roommate, one of the offensive lineman here. So he and I are, you know, still splitting rent.”
And while you may expect the first purchase for any professional athlete to be a fancy sports car, apparently Purdy is perfectly fine driving around his trusty SUV:
“I still drive my Toyota Sequoia. And other than that, it’s pretty simple.”
Of course San Francisco has a notoriously high cost of living, and Purdy is still on his rookie contract with a salary of “only” $870,000 this year.
But still, I think that with nearly a million dollars a year, Purdy could probably find himself a place of his own if he really wanted to.
The quarterback is happy to live his modest life though, and it’s probably for the best after we hear so many horror stories about athletes who get to the league and blow all of their money by the time their career comes to an end.
Of course Purdy also recently proposed to his girlfriend, Jenna Brandt, so I assume they probably won’t want to continue leaving with one of his teammates after they’re married.
But Purdy should also be getting a nice raise after his rookie contract expires, with the average salary for starting quarterbacks in the NFL who are past their rookie deals coming in at a massive $38 million.
He might even be able to get a new car for that kind of money too.
