Nearly four years ago, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s first career start came against a Tampa Bay team led by Tom Brady, with Mike Evans as the Buccaneers’ top receiver trying to beat him.

On Dec. 11, 2022, Purdy threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-7 win, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat Brady in their first career start — a day Purdy called “literally a dream come true” after growing up watching Brady play.

Now the receiver on the other side of that game is the one Purdy leans on for knowledge.

Asked on “The Pat McAfee Show” what it has been like having Evans in the building, Purdy pointed first to the standard Evans has set in the receiver room.

“Yeah man, he’s been awesome — just like obviously another vet presence, just what he brings to the table with our receiving corps,” Purdy said. “Having him in that receiver room has been huge, just for guys to understand this is what it takes to be great. He’s a threat anywhere on the field, but in the red zone too man just seeing what he can do. That’s another level he brings to the offense down there.”

What makes Evans a particularly valuable resource for Purdy specifically is not just his production, but his résumé — he spent over a decade catching passes from both Brady and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, two of the NFL’s more contrasting quarterback styles and personalities over the last several years. Purdy has treated that experience as something worth taking note of directly.

“He’s smart. He’s played with great quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield,” Purdy said. “I’m picking his brain on those things too. I’m extremely happy we got Mike.”

The symmetry is hard to ignore. The rookie who dialed up one of the most improbable results of his career against Brady’s Buccaneers is now asking the player who lined up on the other side that day for insight on how to sustain the kind of career Brady built.

Entering his fifth season with a $265 million extension in hand, Purdy has already done the improbable once. Learning from someone who spent years catching passes from the standard he beat that day is exactly the kind of edge a team with real Super Bowl aspirations is counting on.

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