Ahead of the showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks this Sunday, Seattle's head coach Mike Macdonald revealed just how much San Francisco's head coach Kyle Shanahan trusts quarterback Brock Purdy.
Macdonald was asked about San Francisco's improved passing attack ever since Purdy took the reins as San Francisco's signal caller.
This is what he had to say:
Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald was asked what’s the difference between the 49ers being ranked 31st on early down passing rate before Brock Purdy got to the 49ers, to being ranked 13th since he’s been here:
“Personnel driven. It probably speaks to their confidence in Purdy and how… pic.twitter.com/NjaPv2L6s2
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) September 4, 2025
If you cannot access the post, Macdonald said, "Personnel driven. It probably speaks to their confidence in Purdy and how well he’s playing. Also, how decisively he plays. It’s probably the number one thing… My exposure with San Francisco in the last couple of years is very evident in how confident they are in their quarterback."
Of course, every coach is going to sing the praises of the opposing team prior to a game. They do not want to give their opponent any sort of bulletin-board material to work with and provide extra motivation before the game.
However, that does not mean that every word out of their mouth is untrue. Macdonald's assertion that Shanahan has a lot of trust in Purdy is borne out by what we have seen the past few years. Shanahan has trusted Purdy to air the ball out more than he has with any other quarterback during his tenure.
At times this may have even been to the team's detriment like last season when Purdy pressed at times and got into trouble. He has a great opportunity to prove himself this season especially since he may be missing some weapons to begin the year.
After his big contract he is going to be judged very harshly if he does not deliver so he has a great opportunity to prove himself in a Week 1 matchup against a Seattle team that could have a solid defense.
It bears mentioning that Macdonald was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore when Purdy had his worst career game on Christmas night in 2023. He may not have the same talent he had at his disposal that season, but the Hawks coach is clearly a sharp defensive mind who will have some surprises cooked up for San Francisco's offense.
Macdonald may be talking Purdy up right now, and he probably even means most of what he is saying, but he is obviously going to do everything he can to thwart San Francisco's offense on Sunday.