This would've been a twist.
Before Brock Purdy became a franchise quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, they looked to be in trouble.
It was 2022, and both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance battled injuries.
The 49ers had no choice but to turn to the seventh-round pick, Mr. Irrelevant, out of Iowa State. That couldn't work out, could it?
Because of their predicament, those 49ers actually called up Philip Rivers.
The legendary Chargers quarterback joined The Dan Patrick Show on Thursday to share the story of why he hadn't officially retired until recently. Teams were still calling, and he was at least sort of listening.
"It was early on, before Purdy really got going, still probably six weeks left in the year, there was a little interaction I had with John Lynch," Rivers said of the 49ers' GM.
Rivers also said that in 2021, the Saints had called him about coming back, too.
He explained that he didn't necessarily want to come back to a team so late in a season, where he'd just feel like a "guest quarterback."
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As it turns out, the 49ers didn't need Rivers.
Purdy made five starts that season and won them all, throwing 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 67.1% of his passes.
Since then, Purdy has grown into a QB worthy of a $250-plus million contract extension.
Rivers recently retired officially with a one-day contract with the Chargers after five years away from an NFL field.
No one really expected a Rivers comeback this year, but it's intriguing to know that he nearly came back a couple times to a couple of different teams after his time with the Colts was done.
The 49ers worked out just fine relying on Purdy.
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Category: Football
