Brock Purdy is going to be a busy man in the months ahead, both on and off the field.
And if everything goes right, he'll come out of it in a much better place than he was a year ago.
Purdy was facing some uncertainty at this time last year after suffering a torn UCL in his elbow while trying to lead the San Francisco 49ers against the Philadelphia Eagles as a rookie quarterback in the NFC Championship game. An offseason of surgery and rehabilitation awaited Purdy in February 2023, but after a successful second season that saw him finish as a finalist for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award while guiding the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII, Purdy will now have the opportunity to focus his offseason efforts on improving as a player instead of trying to heal his elbow.
"It'll be nice to sort of work on my craft, get a real legit offseason in," Purdy told reporters Tuesday while players departed 49ers team facilities in Santa Clara following their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl two days prior. "Obviously last year, the season ended, surgery, rehab, trying to get back for the season, so it was just all so fast and going a million miles an hour. So for me to be able to take a step away for a little bit and then I think just work on my mobility, obviously continuing with my arm strength and all that, will be huge for me."
What specifically will Purdy be working on in the months ahead? He says much of the focus will be on improving his arm strength, his overall movement, and his mastery of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
"I think just physically, I think my arm strength, and I always say mobility, but really like my shoulder mobility, my hips just being able to move better," Purdy said. "I feel like my rookie year I was pretty tight, and then I had surgery, so my focus was on my arm. So I feel like I could just be a little bit more elusive and stuff in how I move, and that's something that I want to get better at.
"And then just mentally within the playbook, I think year after year getting better and more comfortable with the system and how Kyle is calling things and go back on film and look at situations where I can learn from and be better in situational football. So those are all things that you can add up and hopefully I can get better at."
But there's a more important matter to take care of before Purdy gets to all that. Purdy's first order of business this offseason will be his wedding with fiancée Jenna Brandt in March. Purdy may take a little time after that to enjoy being a newlywed, but after that he'll return to 49ers facilities and may also travel to Jacksonville, Florida, where he'll work with the same tandem that helped him work on his game before his rookie season before helping him through his rehab in 2023 -- quarterbacks coach Will Hewlett and orthopedics specialist Tom Gormley.
"I'll be around here (49ers team facilities in Santa Clara) for the most part," Purdy said. "I mean, I'm going to get married, and then we're going to probably come back around here. And I don't know if I'm going to go to Jacksonville yet to start training, but obviously I love going down there and getting with Tom Gormley and Will Hewlett. Those are the guys that really helped me perfect my craft."
Will Purdy attempt to further integrate his running ability into his overall game this offseason? He proved to have the potential to hurt teams with his legs with the clutch running plays he made in a win over the Detroit Lions in this season's NFC Championship, but he seems to want to focus on the other elements of his game before that.
"We'll see," Purdy said. "I mean, obviously I'm going to continue to work at my explosiveness and speed. I've always done that, and so if that becomes part of the game, so be it. But I'm a quarterback. I got playmakers around me to go make plays and do all those things. So more than anything, I want to go after the craft of being a good quarterback. So that's first and foremost."
Purdy made a legitimately strong case to be the long-term franchise quarterback in San Francisco over the course of 2023, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while leading the 49ers to an NFC West title and their eighth Super Bowl berth in franchise history. He solidified that claim in two come-from-behind victories in the NFC playoffs before showing an impressive amount of poise and confidence in the 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. If he is able to improve upon that, the 49ers could see some exciting things from Purdy in 2024.
He's looking forward to making that happen.
"I'm excited to get better -- like truly get better at my craft," Purdy said.
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