Brock Purdy puts his faith in Christianity to keep cool amongst the chaos

Feb 7, 2024, 11:45 AM | Updated: 2:14 pm

Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after the 49ers scored a touchdown against the De...

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Life can come at you fast if you’re Brock Purdy. Going from Mr. Irrelevant to Super Bowl quarterback in less than two years can be daunting for many. But the young 49ers gunslinger stays grounded due to modesty, humility, and the pathway of a higher power.

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has taken a mature approach in the lead-up to his first Super Bowl. While only 24 years old, the Arizona native has kept an even-kneeled approach to the pressures of playing football throughout his journey.

That mindset stems from being rooted in his faith, taking a whole-world approach to what’s transpired with the 49ers.

“Life is about being a part of something bigger than yourself,” Brock Purdy said. “You get wrapped up in getting all the glory and the fame and the status, I feel like that’s a shallow life. And that can fade away pretty quickly.”

Purdy has been outspoken about religion, being a devout Christian himself. While it’s not always sexy or a hot topic for general NFL fans, it’s important to discuss in order to better understand the 49ers QB.

Case in point: He praised God for helping to guide him through the 49ers’ NFC Championship win over the Detroit Lions a week and a half prior. Purdy typically starts or ends a postgame field interview with his appreciation for The Holy Spirt, again doing so on-stage after the 49ers clinched their place in Super Bowl LVIII.

After leading a 17-point comeback to send his team to the Super Bowl, #49ers QB Brock Purdy said this:

“First of all, glory to God. He’s given us this opportunity…” pic.twitter.com/bV8Cd8a7yL

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 29, 2024

Religion is everything to Brock Purdy and his family, with certain passages guiding him in year two of the NFL. One in particular stands out, one that he reads every morning before he starts his day.

“This year for me it’s been Psalm 23. Yeah, ‘the Lord is my shepherd. I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters’. And it goes on,” Purdy said Tuesday, explaining the scripture. “Playing this game, playing this sport, there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s easy to get wrapped up in wanting and feeling like wanting to be loved obviously by your teammates and everybody but like the world. So, for me in that passage, it’s talking about I already have what I need from the Good Shepherd in Jesus.”

Talked to 49ers QB Brock Purdy today at #SuperBowlLVIII media availability and asked him about his faith. Check it out. https://t.co/jPXmDyGGBQ

— Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) February 7, 2024

That passage alone has kept him within himself for the entire season. Like he said, it’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and glam of the NFL limelight, especially in the Bay Area.

The previous starting QB was one of the most popular people south of the Golden Gate Bridge, known for his talent and his looks simultaneously. And he would flaunt it, seen out and about at various events around the city.

The difference with Brock Purdy is that he possesses both qualities of his predecessor (at a higher level talent-wise as well), but never boasts or brags. It’s never about him on the 49ers; It’s about how can he do more for the guys around him to win games.

That quality is hard to find in most, especially for a 24-year-old.

“That’s I think the most special thing about Brock. He doesn’t have to change much, that’s really who he is. Brock is as humble of a person as I’ve ever been around,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan stated Tuesday. “I’ve talked about him having just a strong foundation of who he is, and it’s rare I think for people to have that…I know when he came to the league, you can see it on him right away. You’ve seen it through everything. I mean, the third-string quarterback, the starting quarterback, what he’s done this year, he’s still the same guy as he was the first day. You can ask him [but] I think it has a lot to do with his faith, how he leads his life and carries himself in everything he does.”

"If you're saying that I'm a game manager and I don't look flashy in how I do it, that's your opinion. And that's okay. At the end of the day I want to do what it takes to help my team win."

-Brock Purdy on being labeled a "game manager"#SuperBowlLVIII pic.twitter.com/j9uPbX4cIn

— Kevin John (@heykevinjohn) February 7, 2024

Brock Purdy has a routine of prayer before every game, with occasional follow-ups in moments of high magnitude. The last two playoff games have had that in spades, with SF trailing at halftime of both contests.

Purdy’s prayers are never selfish, however. Some might think he reaches out to The Lord for his own personal gain, but in actuality, the Arizona native uses prayer to stay grounded, looking to higher powers to help guide him through the outside noise.

“Yeah I do [pray]. It’s not ‘God, can we win here? Can we do something great here?’ It’s more just to have that peace, that steadfastness in all the chaos,” Brock Purdy said. “That’s really what it is, it’s sinking back into like, ‘Holy Spirit, take over and lead me here in this moment and allow me to think clearly’…And like I said, have an even-keeled state of mind that I get from the Holy Spirit.”