Brock Purdy and the 49ers will face Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings for some "Monday Night Football" action at U.S. Bank Stadium, but that could have been a very different story.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert and Nick Wagoner reported Monday, citing multiple sources, that the Vikings heavily pursued Purdy in the final hours of the 2022 NFL Draft, hoping to sign the Iowa State product to a UDFA deal. Purdy told ESPN last week he was considering the 49ers, Houston Texans and Vikings if he went undrafted.
Of course, San Francisco wound up selecting Purdy with the very last pick in the draft, and the 23-year-old quarterback has since emerged as the starter following injuries to former 49ers quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo last season.
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But the Cousins-49ers connection goes back beyond the 2022 draft. Cousins and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan worked together for two years in Washington, where Shanahan played a big part in Washington drafting Cousins. The two have maintained a close relationship and in 2017, the 49ers reached out to Washington about trading their No. 2 pick for Cousins, but Washington never returned the phone call.
Rumors about a possible Cousins-Shanahan reunion began to swirl again in 2018, but San Francisco instead acquired Garoppolo from the New England Patriots.
Five years later, Cousins' future in the Midwest is unclear as he will become a free agent after the 2023 season. Meanwhile, the 49ers seemingly have found a long-term answer at quarterback.
Purdy entered Week 7 leading the league in QBR (76.9) and is making a strong case for the NFL MVP award after leading the 49ers to five straight victories before falling to the Cleveland Browns last week by two points.
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There's no telling how things would have turned out if Cousins and Purdy were in opposite positions, but for the 49ers, it's safe to say things worked out for the best.