Mr. Irrelevant: Brock Purdy Is the Real Winner of the Super Bowl

“With the 262^nd pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Brock Purdy, a quarterback from Iowa State.”

These are the words that started Brock Purdy’s pro football career. Dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” for being the very last pick of the NFL draft, Purdy seemed to be heading into sports oblivion alongside many of the 47 other Mr. Irrelevants that preceded him. But God seemed to have other plans.

After a series of injuries, Brock found himself starting for the team that drafted him last. Making one of the great sports stories of our time, the unthinkable happened and within a year and half Mr. Irrelevant found himself more relevant than just about anyone else in football. Finishing the 2024 season as a Top 5 MVP candidate and leading his team to the Super Bowl, it seemed like a fairy tale story had just unfolded before the sports world’s very eyes.

We might assume that once anyone puts so much time, energy, and effort into a sport, they’d finally feel the vindication of thinking, I was right. I always knew this was where I am meant to be.

But on media day, the day before the Super Bowl, Brock was asked if he felt like he finally got to “where he needed to be?”, to which he responded with the following:

“Honestly for me it’s always been about God in my life. Living for Him. I got drafted last. I’m playing football out of college. I didn’t really know what my future would look like. It was all about ‘alright, I’m going to show up and try my hardest and try to get drafted. (Then) the 49ers ended up drafting me; I got drafted last and I was grateful for that. I took that opportunity, studied the playbook, worked hard, and did everything I could to make the team. Sure enough I made the team and became a backup and then I got an opportunity to play. So for me, it’s just been trusting God and his plan for me and my life. It’s never been ‘I need this, I need to be a starting quarterback,’ I never said that to myself it’s always been wherever God needs me that’s how it’s going to play out.”

In a separate interview he said this about his story: “God takes something that doesn’t look so great in the world’s eyes and makes something pretty cool out of it; for His glory.”

When asked if he was playing for somebody he simply laughed and responded, “God.”

In a third interview he said, “I haven’t tried to hold onto the football life being a quarterback. It’s been about ‘God, this is what I do, but I am who you say I am.’ And I’ve allowed that to take over my life and he’s taken me to wherever he needs me.”

Purdy’s statements reveal a great depth about how he relates to his life. Instead of holding on so tightly to how you might think the world should be or how things should go, there’s an openness to whatever shows up. And in this open minded perspective, there is also a certainty that things are working out according to a higher order, a purpose, and for the greater good.

The Torah says, “And now, Israel, what is it that God asks of you?” Hassidic thought interprets the verse as “And now, Israel, is what God asks of you.” Did you catch the difference? Now, the present moment, is what God asks from you. Let go of your version of reality and step into the one that has been handed to you, right now.

The idea of surrender isn’t about giving up. It’s about giving over. Giving over the ego’s need to mentally feel in control. It’s this mental desire to control the narrative on life that gives rise to anxiety, anger, and depression. Brock reminds us that whatever God needs it to be is how it’s going to play out. And because that’s so clear, there is no need to hold on so tightly to your expectations about reality.

The degree to which you are attached to something fitting your mental picture about life is the degree of the pain and resistance you’ll have if it plays out differently (which it likely will). It’s a closed and narrow way to go through this world.

The power of surrender, of letting go and allowing the Universe to unfold the way it does, is leaning into the present moment as it presents itself. Not only do you get the joy of gratitude when things “go your way,” but you also get the resilience of knowing this too shall pass. Nothing lasts forever and this is a snap shot in a longer story.

You have a place in the universe. Sometimes, life goes the way you want it to go and other times, you’re going to find yourself surprised and baffled. But when you can let go and lean into wherever you find yourself, knowing that’s exactly where you need to be, you can live in peace and find out who you really are.

Brock Purdy’s story is indeed amazing. It shows that you can be chosen last, counted out, and still rise above and reveal your hidden greatness. It shows that you never know who is hiding in the back of the room. But the main thing I’m walking away with from this story is not how it unfolded, but how Brock responded. You may not be able to lead a team to the Super Bowl, but you can lead your life like this Super Bowl quarterback.