San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan appeared on Bay Area radio station KNBR on Thursday, confirming the report that Brock Purdy will start at quarterback this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals.
Purdy has been sidelined since Week 4 due to a turf toe injury, meaning Mac Jones, who played admirably in relief, will return to his backup role.
So, how did Jones react to the announcement?
"Honestly, it was awesome," Shanahan said. "I mean, I didn't even have to communicate with him. I think he understood the situation that he went into. He's understood it the whole time. And he had a real good idea that Brock was getting there, was going to be ready this week, so it wasn't something that I really had to have a big meeting with or anything—but I did before we went out on the practice field. I did call him in just to tell him how much I appreciated how well he played during that time, and to kind of thank him for it."
Shanahan added, "He's like, 'Hey, man, I enjoyed it, and I'm gonna go have fun on scout team today, and I'll be ready if I'm ever needed again.' Mac's handled it great since the beginning. Him and Brock have been studs in the room together. They help each other a ton. They enjoy each other. And I'm really pumped to have him this year, and I'm really pumped that we have him next year also."
The coach emphasized the mutual respect between the two quarterbacks as key to the smooth transition back to Purdy.
"All these guys are super competitive, so everybody wants to start," Shanahan said. "But it really helps when guys have a lot of respect for the guy in front of them. That's usually when the backups have been patient and have handled it the right way.
"I know how much respect Mac has for Brock. He's watched him play in his career. He got to watch him throughout OTAs and training camp. I know how good of a player he thinks he is. So, when you're in a situation like that, you respect the other guy, and you're usually the right type of dude, then, usually, they handle it the right way."