It wasn't a storybook ending for Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. The team came up a game short of returning to the Super Bowl. The quarterback suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow early in the NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, ending the 49ers' championship hopes.
"And then we get to the end of the game and just had this bitter taste in our mouth," Purdy said during 49ers Studio's "Brick by Brick" series. "Like, man, it's not like that we necessarily lost. It's like we just really couldn't do anything. We were very thankful how the season went, just in terms of the adversity of some quarterbacks going down, being able to continue to have success."
Purdy underwent surgery on March 10, once the swelling in his arm made it safe to do so. The experts told him it would be a six-month recovery. That timeline pointed toward an early September return, endangering his chances of being available for the start of the 2023 season.
Purdy quickly got to work on his rehab, hoping to trim a little off that projected timeline. He worked on getting his range of motion back, and then his strength. In late May, he started throwing again.
The recovering quarterback was ahead of schedule and doing what he could with his team.
"Being in meetings, still growing mentally, was great," Purdy shared. "Being in the locker room with the guys was great. But obviously, being on the field, I think, is one of the most important things. Not being in that sucked, but I tried to do as much as possible to be ready for camp and ready for the season."
When the 49ers reported to training camp at the end of July, Purdy wasn't placed on an injury list. Much to everyone's surprise, he was cleared to practice—once again, well ahead of schedule.
Now, everyone expects Purdy to be out on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers for Week 1 of the regular season. It was a long journey for the mentally-tough and faith-driven quarterback, who leaned on his parents through the ordeal of his recovery.
"My mom and dad definitely gave me some great advice in the offseason," Purdy said. "Obviously just being there, being in the moment, being present, not getting too caught up in what's going to happen in life, your career, coming off an injury, all [that] kind of stuff, but just being present with where you're at. Handle rehab right now, everything will fall into place.
"If you're so consumed with what the future holds, then you miss out on what's in front of you. So I feel like just enjoying every day, enjoying practice, throwing, meetings. If we could just enjoy right where we're at, you enjoy your life rather than getting too caught up in thinking about the future and missing out."