Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa were selected to their first Pro Bowl on Wednesday as the starting quarterbacks for their respective conferences.
Purdy is the first San Francisco 49ers quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Jeff Garcia in 2002. Tagovailoa is the first Miami Dolphins quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since Dan Marino in 1995, ending the longest active drought in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
It’s the first time the two starting quarterbacks are first-time picks since the 1999 season, when Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner were chosen.
Purdy was one of nine players picked from the 49ers (12-4), who clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed. He was joined by edge rusher Nick Bosa, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey, cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Fred Warner and offensive tackle Trent Williams.
The 49ers had the most players selected. Baltimore (13-3) and Dallas (11-5) each have seven Pro Bowl players.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson, safety Kyle Hamilton, center Tyler Linderbaum, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, linebackers Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith, and kicker Justin Tucker were picked from the Ravens, who secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Quarterback Dak Prescott, punter Bryan Anger, kicker Brandon Aubrey, cornerback DaRon Bland, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, guard Zack Martin and edge rusher Micah Parsons were selected from the Cowboys, who can clinch the NFC East title with a win Sunday.
Other NFC first-year selections besides Purdy include Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua, Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, Eagles running back D’Andre Swift, Rams running back Kyren Williams, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, Bears edge rusher Montez Sweat, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, Seahawks safety Julian Love, Ward, Bland, Aubrey, Saints return specialist Rashid Shaheed and Lions special teamer Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Other AFC first-year selections besides Tagovailoa include Browns tight end David Njoku, Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert, Bills running back James Cook, Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold, Linderbaum, Madubuike, Queen, Hamilton, Broncos return specialist Marvin Mims Jr., Steelers special-teamer Miles Killebrew and Jaguars long-snapper Ross Matiscik.
Patrick Mahomes is the AFC’s third quarterback while Matthew Stafford is the NFC’s third signal-caller. Trent Williams is heading to his 11th Pro Bowl, the most among the players chosen. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was picked for a 10th time. Martin, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner are nine-time Pro Bowl picks. Juszczyk and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill are going for the eighth time.
Twenty-eight teams had at least one player selected, and 21 clubs had multiple players chosen.
Player selections were determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches, with each group’s vote counting as one-third toward deciding final rosters. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams.
The Pro Bowl will be held Feb. 4 and is returning to Orlando, Florida, for the first time in three years. This will be the second year for the Pro Bowl Games featuring a multiday AFC vs. NFC competition that includes skills events and culminates in a flag football game. Peyton and Eli Manning will again serve as the coaches.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com