Brock Purdy has gone from Mr. Irrelevant to a local commercial star in just a matter of months.
At the start of the 2022 NFL season, Purdy was relatively unknown. He was taken with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and was the third-string quarterback on the 49ers depth chart behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
When Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, Purdy was bumped up to the Niners' backup QB role behind Garoppolo.
Garoppolo kept San Francisco pushing, going 6-3 over the next nine weeks to establish itself as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But when Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury during the 49ers' Week 13 contest against the Dolphins, they had no choice but to turn to their inexperienced rookie quarterback.
While the masses expected the QB change to derail San Francisco's Super Bowl chances, Purdy didn't take long to silence the doubters.
He would go on to win six consecutive games to close the season, leading the 49ers to the second-best record in the NFC. He threw for 1,308 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions, taking a stronghold on San Francisco's starting quarterback job.
Purdy then led the 49ers to two commanding playoff victories, bringing San Francisco back to the NFC Championship game. He suffered an elbow injury that would see the 49ers come up short of reaching the Super Bowl, but Purdy made it clear who the new QB1 was in San Francisco.
The 49ers let Garoppolo walk to the Raiders in free agency and traded Trey Lance to the Cowboys, clearing the way for Purdy to lead the charge again in 2023.
Now, he's becoming a brand in the San Francisco area, appearing in Toyota commercials on local channels on Sundays.
Brock Purdy Toyota commercial
Purdy's name was trending after Week 2, and not because the 49ers handled their division rival Rams. The second-year QB popped up in a local Toyota commercial, reaping the benefits of being the signal caller for one of the best teams in the NFL.
Brock Purdy is in a new commercial for @Toyotapic.twitter.com/XygpPhaE0W
— CycloneFanatic.com (@cyclonefanatic) September 19, 2023
The advertisement is Purdy's voice over footage of him driving a Toyota truck to the 49ers' training facility to get an early morning workout in.
"The secret to being in the right place at the right time — is never taking what got you here for granted. Rising to every moment, meeting every challenge, giving your best, then giving some more. Because there is no best, only better," Purdy says.
The entire advertisement screams exactly what it is — a local commercial. From low-level production to basic workout footage to a simple voiceover, it's no surprise the internet found a way to poke fun at the QB's first big-time ad.
But according to NBC Sports Bay Area, Toyota's chairman of advertising, Trey Curtola, feels they found the perfect guy to be the company's brand ambassador.
"Here comes Brock Purdy, sort of out of nowhere and hit the scene, and became the darling of the NFL, and then got hurt and then came back, and once again, is the darling of the NFL," Curtola told NBC Sports Bay Area.
"So along that journey that he took, we were in discussions with his agent because it really seemed like his character was something we would typically look for in alignment with the Toyota brand. And it was a good fit, and he's 23 years old.
"He's still young, and what he's done so far, particularly his ascent from that draft pick to where he is now, is an incredible story, an incredible journey, and we wanted to align with that, but more importantly align with his brand and his character."
Brock Purdy — from the last pick in the NFL Draft to a Super Bowl-contending QB to the face of brand advertisement. Who would've thunk it?
