Mics Picked Up Jared Goff’s Classy Message to Brock Purdy After Lions’ Loss to 49ers

The Detroit starter knows what it’s like to play in a Super Bowl early in his career as he led the Rams there in the 2018–19 season.

The San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy came back and beat the Detroit Lions and Jared Goff in the NFC championship on Sunday, but the heartbreaking loss didn’t stop the veteran quarterback from sharing his admiration for the second-year player.

Even though Goff was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft and Purdy was “Mr. Irrelevant,” the last pick in the 2023 draft, the respect between the two playoff quarterbacks was apparent after the game.

A video captured by NFL Films after the game showed the quick, but memorable, interaction between the two quarterbacks.

“What a good baller, man,” Goff said to Purdy. “Love what you stand for. Good luck.”

The Lions starter likely was referring to Purdy’s unlikely path to becoming the 49ers’ starter. He was the third-string quarterback when he began his rookie season, but ended the year by taking the team to the NFC championship. As the full-time starter this year, he led the team all the way to the Super Bowl.

Goff knows what it’s like to play in a Super Bowl early in his career, as he led the Los Angeles Rams to Super Bowl LIII in the 2018–19 season.

The 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.