Brock Purdy faced uncertainty regarding his recovery from the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained in last season's NFC Championship Game. So the second-year player sought the advice of a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who underwent a similar procedure.
Like Purdy, Nick Mullens endured a significant ligament injury in his throwing arm in 2020, a season marred by injuries for the 49ers and Mullens' last with the team. Mullens previously admitted that when he witnessed the hit Purdy took from Eagles defender Haason Reddick, he immediately knew the 49ers quarterback had sustained the same injury.
Before his surgery on March 10, Purdy reached out to Mullens to gain insight into what to expect in his recovery.
"He goes, 'Man, throughout the year, especially early on, when you come back, you're going to feel a little something in your arm, but that's normal. All guys that go through surgery feel it,'" Purdy said Tuesday morning on Bay Area radio station KNBR's "Murph and Markus" show. "And he goes, 'But about halfway through the year, you should be feeling a lot better.' And he goes, 'That's what happened with me.'
"And he was right. Halfway through the year, my arm feels great now, so I'm excited about that."
Purdy, who has been delivering MVP-like performances this season, leading San Francisco to the top of the NFC playoff standings, recently threw a career-high 368 yards in the 49ers' 28-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Reflecting on his arm's condition, Purdy stated, "I feel like my arm, throughout the season, has just gotten, I guess you could say stronger, just in terms of the rehab, the lifting, all of it, the amount of throwing that I've been doing throughout the year. So it's gotten better."
Players often emerge from such surgeries with improved arm strength, prompting a question about Purdy's strength now compared to before the injury. Does the quarterback feel the improvement is due to the procedure itself?
"I would say it feels really good. It just feels strong. It feels fresh again," Purdy responded. "And like I said, when you go through the rehab and all that kind of stuff, it's so much emphasis on the ligaments and the small muscles around your elbow. So when you're constantly working them, your arm, by nature, is going to get stronger. And so that's just really what it was for me.
"I think it was a great lesson for me, just moving forward throughout my career, not just from surgery, but moving forward, I can work and continue to do all those kinds of workouts on my arm to keep my arm strong, to keep it fresh, to allow it to keep getting stronger. I think, honestly, I learned a lot, and I think it's a little bit stronger from where I started day one in the NFL."
Purdy has excelled on deep passes this season. His completion percentage of 65.9 on passes at least 20 yards deep is the best in the NFL, and his 138.5 passer rating on such throws is second only to C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans (141.4).
When asked if the deep ball is a new addition to his repertoire, Purdy answered, "Honestly, I would say it's a little new, just with my game. I've always been known for the quick game, the intermediate, and then every once in a while, I'll push it downfield. But it's not like what I'm doing now, I'd say.
"And I feel like that's a testament to, obviously, [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and his play calls, and sort of just his coaching the last year or so, of me just learning the system, and being ready to take those shots, take the opportunities to go deep.
"And then obviously [having] the guys to do it with [WR Brandon] Aiyuk and [WR] Deebo [Samuel] and all of our guys. So I feel like it's somewhat of a new part of my game, honestly."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Purdy below.