Purdy plays game warden at park
In February, not long after Brock Purdy directed two comeback playoff wins at Levi's Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback had another save when the spotlight was on him in the Bay Area.
KPIX-TV anchor Sara Donchey has credited Purdy for alerting her to a potentially scary situation when Purdy was shooting a John Deere commercial near Bernal Heights Park in San Francisco. Donchey, who was walking her dog, wasn't aware a coyote was nearby until Purdy began hollering.
“When I walked down the hill, one of the filmcrew guys said, ‘Hey, Brock Purdy saved your life,' ” Donchey said on air Feb. 22. “Not exactly. But it's a good story to tell next season.”
It's a story Purdy confirmed Tuesday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I see this thing trotting by that has a big tail,” Purdy said. “I was like, ‘Bro, that looks like a mini wolf.' And sure enough, no one was going to scream, so I screamed and was like, ‘Yo, there's a coyote!' ”
Purdy added, “She walked by and said she was a news anchor. And I was like, ‘Dude, I just saved a news anchor's life from being eaten by a coyote.' ”
It's extremely uncommon for coyotes to attack humans (and only one fatality in the U.S. on record), but the story adds a bit more to the legend of Purdy, the 262nd and last pick in the 2022 who helped lead the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII last season in his first full year as a starter.
Purdy's draft position, and the relatively modest salary that comes with it, helps explain why the prolific passer doubles as a busy pitchman. In addition to John Deere, the newly married QB, 24, who will earn a $985,000 base salary in 2024, has signed endorsement deals with Toyota, Alaska Airlines and Buffalo Wild Wings. The Iowa State alum also has a deal with Pioneer Seeds, which is based in Johnston, Iowa.
Purdy appeared with McAfee this week to promote John Deere's first-ever search for a CTO (Chief Tractor Officer). Last year, Purdy served Buffalo Wild Wings hamburgers at the NFL draft in Kansas City, Mo.
Next year? Purdy might be able to dial back on pitching products because he'll be eligible for a contract extension that could make him one of the NFL's highest-paid QBs. The Bengals' Joe Burrow currently tops the list with an average annual salary of $55 million.
“It's not hard,” 49ers CEO Jed York said last month. “It's what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before.”