Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo sent classy message to 49ers’ Brock Purdy after Super Bowl

Some people wondered if 24-year-old 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy would be anxious at the start of Super Bowl LVIII, but he came out slinging the ball.

Purdy, who was the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, didn’t have butterflies in his stomach as he completed eight of his first 10 passes for 105 yards. He later led a 12-play, 75-yard drive that gave the 49ers a lead in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, Purdy directed a 66-yard drive that led to a field goal. In his first Super Bowl, Purdy completed 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards.

The performance by Purdy, the former Iowa State star, impressed Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“Brock Purdy,” Spagnuolo said on “The Season with Peter Schrager” podcast, “I think he’s terrific, and I’ll tell you why.”

Spagnuolo talked about how the Chiefs faced mobile quarterbacks in the three rounds of the AFC playoffs: Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.

“You’ve got to worry about those guys always running the football,” Spagnuolo said. “So now it’s going to be San Francisco. We haven’t watched a lot of film of them, so I don’t really know. OK, it’s a backup quarterback. OK, maybe he’s not a runner. Maybe we’d get a little break here. I turn the film on and then he’s ripping Green Bay and Detroit with a couple of run plays ... and I said, ‘OK, here we go, we got another one.’”

The Chiefs kept Purdy the scrambler in check. He had just 12 yards rushing in the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime win over the 49ers.

Spagnuolo then revealed he had reached out to Purdy after the Super Bowl and sent the Niners quarterback a classy message.

“I just texted Brock the other day, I tried to track down his cell number,” Spagnuolo said. “I just wanted to tell him how much respect I have for him and what a terrific game he played. He’s such a quality guy, strong Christian man and I respect all of that and I’m happy for all the success. (But) I’m glad he didn’t have quite the real big game (in the Super Bowl).”

Here is the clip of Spagnuolo talking about Purdy with Schrager.