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Brock Purdy’s Wife: When the 49ers Let Their QB Miss Practice for Jenna’s Delivery

Nidhi
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) kisses his fiance Jenna Brandt after winning the NFC Championship football game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium

Levi’s Stadium is used to roaring crowds and prime-time drama, but Brock Purdy’s most unforgettable moment this season didn’t come on a football field. It came at home, when the 49ers quarterback got the call that his wife Jenna was going into labor, and the team immediately told him to forget practice and be there for the birth of his daughter.

Purdy and his wife Jenna quietly welcomed their first child in July, a daughter named Millie Joleen Purdy. The couple announced the news with a heartfelt joint Instagram post: “Millie Joleen Purdy Life just became a whole lot sweeter.” The arrival was a surprise, but the 49ers had no hesitation in allowing their franchise QB to step away from practice to be by his wife’s side.

“Every single morning I’d wake up and go about my day like normal, just waiting for Jenna to send that text,” Purdy recalled during a press conference. “Then that morning she had her doula over and they said, ‘No, this baby’s coming today.’ I called Coach Shanahan and Lombardi and told them I couldn’t make it in. They were great — they said, ‘Enjoy it. Be there for her.’ And sure enough, our baby came that day.”

 

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A post shared by Jenna Purdy (@jennapurdyy)

Purdy and Jenna Brandt first met as students at Iowa State University and went public with their relationship in November 2022. Purdy proposed the following July in Saint Cloud, Florida, and the couple married on March 9, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jenna, born on Oct. 26, 1999, grew up in Sumner, Iowa, alongside her three siblings. A standout athlete herself, she played setter in high school volleyball before competing at Iowa State and later transferring to the University of Northern Iowa, where she finished her collegiate career in 2022 while studying kinesiology.

Now the two are navigating life as young parents in the middle of an NFL season, something Purdy says has brought him even closer to his teammates.

“So many of us are having kids at the same time,” he said with a smile. “Hopefully, we’ll be together for a while, and our kids can be out on the field pregame. Christian and I have talked about how cool it would be for them to remember us playing in the NFL.”

Purdy is now back leading San Francisco through another postseason push. In a gritty 23–19 wild-card win over the Eagles, a game that saw the Niners lose George Kittle to an Achilles injury, Purdy threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns to help advance to the divisional round.

Watching from the stands in Philadelphia were Jenna and baby Millie, turning the playoff trip into a family affair. Jenna later shared photos from the game on social media, writing, “Took the work trip to cheer on #13! Bang bang!”

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A post shared by Jenna Purdy (@jennapurdyy)

Fans and fellow NFL wives flooded the comments with support. “Millie in Philly for the win,” one wrote, while Olivia Culpo chimed in with, “Team Millie!!!!!!” Kristin Juszczyk added, “The real star of the show is Millie girl!”

Under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers have reached the NFC Championship every year they’ve made the playoffs, and Purdy hopes to keep that streak alive in Saturday’s rubber match with the Seahawks. No matter what happens on the field, the 2025 season has already given Purdy a victory bigger than football.

    About the author

    Nidhi

    Nidhi

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    Nidhi is an NFL Editor for The SportsRush. Her interest in NFL began with 'The Blindside' and has been working as an NFL journalist for the past year. As an athlete herself, she uses her personal experience to cover sports immaculately. She is a graduate of English Literature and when not doing deep dives into Mahomes' latest family drama, she inhales books on her kindle like nobody's business. She is proud that she recognised Travis Kelce's charm (like many other NFL fangirls) way before Taylor Swift did, and is waiting with bated breath for the new album to drop.

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