Brock Purdy proved a lot during his rookie NFL season. He clearly belongs in the league. The San Francisco 49ers lost two starting quarterbacks this season. Purdy, once QB3, stepped in, and the team didn't skip a beat.
San Francisco won 12 consecutive games entering the NFC Championship Game. Purdy was under center for eight of those games, helming the offense since Jimmy Garoppolo exited a Week 13 matchup against the Miami Dolphins with a broken foot.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk admits he didn't know what to think after Purdy replaced Garoppolo. Could the 49ers push forward with yet another quarterback change?
Then Purdy and the 49ers handily beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, and the receiver knew they would be fine.
The 49ers entered the NFC Championship Game with confidence, knowing they were talented enough to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. They never had an opportunity to prove that, though. Purdy suffered a UCL tear and is expected to miss six months of the offseason.
If Purdy is the starter in 2023, Aiyuk believes the 23-year-old quarterback will be even better.
"Yeah, the injury, that sucks, but I just felt like, the type of guy that he is, I think you only have two options," Aiyuk told Brad Graham of TheSFNiners. "It makes you or breaks you. And from what I've seen from him, it don't look like much breaks him. So I hope he has a great offseason, he gets the rehab that he needs, he gets the recovery that he needs, and he gets to show who Brock Purdy is."
From the moment Purdy stepped on the field, the quarterback has shown the poise and leadership of a seasoned veteran. It was easy to forget that he was playing his first handful of NFL games.
"And I think, for me, the thing is, that was rookie Brock Purdy," Aiyuk continued. "That was halfway-into-the-season, hand-over-the-keys Brock Purdy."
Purdy hopes to be ready for the start of the 2023 season. He's weighing his options, but the 49ers still expect the quarterback only to have to undergo six months of recovery.
"I think the positive bit of news is that it seems to be consistent that the right approach is that one that takes about that six-month mark," general manager John Lynch said last week. "Now, everybody will also say you never know until you get in there. Every surgeon will tell you that on every surgery. You always like getting in to see exactly—the MRI tells you a lot of the picture.
"So they're continuing to work through that process, but we seem encouraged by the prognosis that that's kind of where it's at."
Purdy proved himself tough enough to play quarterback in the NFL and flourish doing so. Aiyuk has no doubt the quarterback is tough enough to overcome this setback.
"So we weren't sure what that was going to look like going into this offseason," Aiyuk said, "but one thing that he does know for sure is that he can play at this level, and he could be a top quarterback in this league, so I don't think it'll do anything but fuel him. So I'm excited to see what he does in the rest of his career."
49ers plan to exercise Brandon Aiyuk's 5th-year option as other teams express interest
By David Bonilla
Mar 27
Don't expect San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to go anywhere anytime soon. On Monday morning, at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, general manager John Lynch made it clear the team plans to exercise the star player's fifth-year option.
"Brandon's been excellent for us," Lynch told reporters. "I'd be shocked if we didn't. We still have some time. It's (the deadline) the day after the draft, I believe, we have to make those decisions. And so we're still discussing, but it probably makes sense to do that for Brandon.
"He's a really good player. It's interesting when you're at these league functions, ownership meetings, combine, a lot of people ask about him. They really appreciate his game, and they see it ascending. And he's a guy we're very
Rohan Chakravarthi breaks down the San Francisco 49ers free agency moves and what's next for the organization, including a Brandon Aiyuk extension.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
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Photo: Recovering 49ers QB Brock Purdy spotted by fan
By David Bonilla
Mar 26
Brock Purdy can begin throwing again sometime in June. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is expected to be ready to hit the field—practice or in-game—sometime in September.
Purdy is recovering from surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He hasn't been seen since the surgery, with his last public appearance taking place In Arizona, during the week leading to the Super Bowl.
One fan spotted Purdy, though, getting a photo with the 49ers quarterback (h/t TheSFNiners). As expected, Purdy is wearing a massive brace on his throwing arm,
49ers' QB1? John Lynch calls Brock Purdy the "leader in the clubhouse"
By David Bonilla
Mar 27
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, speaking with reporters at the owners' meetings in Arizona on Monday morning, made it clear where Brock Purdy sits in the team's quarterback depth chart. Purdy, recovering from surgery on March 10, has earned the right to the top spot.
"I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse at that," Lynch said. "I'll let [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] make those kind of decisions, but I know, when we talk, I think Brock's probably earned that right to be the guy. If we were to line up, he'd probably take that first snap."
Of course, Lynch clarified that all quarterbacks—Purdy, Trey Lance, and Sam Darnold—will compete for the 49ers' starting job. However,
