San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle recently joined the No-Contest Wrestling podcast and opened up about quarterback Brock Purdy's recovery from a lingering toe injury. Purdy has now missed five games, with Mac Jones expected to start again this weekend against the Houston Texans as the 49ers aim to improve to 6-2 on the season.
Kittle, who just returned from injured reserve and played against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, revealed the advice he's been sharing with his quarterback as Purdy works his way back to full health.
"How I understand it is, just like with the turf toe stuff, it's basically if you trigger it at all before it's healed, I think you just back up in the recovery process," Kittle said. "My thing, what I've just told Brock is, 'Just get to where you feel fantastic and then play football again.' We know what Brock can do. We're excited to see Brock Purdy play football.
"I just don't want him to come back too soon, and then the same thing happens like when he played against Jacksonville, and then he's out for a couple more weeks, because Brock's a phenomenal football player that is the best orchestrator of this offense that I've ever seen. And what Kyle Shanahan has done, he's just so efficient at it.
"And so, I just want him to be at 100% before he tries to take the field again. And I think he's aware of that, and I think he's going to do a good job with his recovery, and he'll come back when he feels like he's ready."
49ers battling through injuries
Unfortunately, Purdy isn't the only name on San Francisco's growing injury list. The 49ers have lost several key players throughout the season, including linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is working his way back from a knee injury, Jauan Jennings continues to play through multiple ailments, and no one knows when Brandon Aiyuk will return after suffering ACL and MCL injuries in October 2024.
During Sunday's game, center Jake Brendel and defensive end Bryce Huff also suffered hamstring injuries and are expected to miss at least a couple of weeks.
Despite the setbacks, San Francisco has remained one of the NFC's top teams, finding ways to win and stay atop the NFC West standings. Kittle credited several key factors that have helped the team overcome significant adversity.
Kittle praises Shanahan, Lynch, and 49ers leadership
"One, I think that Coach Shanahan's a hell of a head football coach," Kittle said. "I missed five games. Nick Bosa is on IR, Fred Warner is on IR, Brock Purdy hasn't really played this year. Our starting receiver has been out since last year with an ACL, who's hopefully back soon. We've just had guys not being able to play. And the fact that Coach Shanahan is able to come up with really great game plans week in and week out, and find ways to inspire the boys to go out there and fly around and hit people in the face, he's really, really good at what he does."
Kittle also praised general manager John Lynch for helping to build a roster capable of weathering injuries, and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for reigniting the unit's physical edge.
"And then, really, I think the last thing I would say is I've been here for a while," Kittle said. "I'm going into year nine, with this my ninth year with the San Francisco 49ers. Fred Warner, he's in year eight. Nick Bosa is year seven. And we have this foundation of guys—Kyle Juszczyk is year nine—and we have this foundation of guys who have kind of set the standard of what we expect to play at, and we've taught the young guys that.
"And so, even when those players aren't playing, the young guys and the guys who are on the team that were a part of it, they're like, 'Hey, this is the standard that we have to play at. If we don't play at this level, we're going to stand out like a sore thumb on film, and we're not going to be here very long.' So, it's just kind of a kudos to our vets and our coaching staff for having that standard, and then the whole team buying into what that standard is."
Then, there is the mindset that has been instilled in every player in the locker room.
"And I also think we're a very gritty team, and we like to hit people," Kittle added. "And a lot of the time in football, if you like to hit people more than the other team likes to get hit, then you can win football games."