Brock Purdy is entering his fourth NFL season, his third consecutive as the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Coming in as Mr. Irrelevant (the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft), it took time for him to build the trust of his teammates and coaches.
While San Francisco didn’t have much of an option when Purdy first got an opportunity due to injuries, they could’ve looked to replace him in the three years since, but haven’t.
He’s clearly the guy 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are willing to bet on.
Purdy talked about his growing trust with Shanahan when joining The Richard Sherman Podcast earlier this week.
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“For him to pour into me and teach me these things, it’s been awesome,” Purdy said of his head coach.
“Obviously, I think I’m able to open up his playbook and his system with how he calls plays, and he can trust me in certain moments. I’m still learning, he’s still teaching me, but I think together we’ve done nothing but trust each other and go through things… we’ve been through some stuff together, which I think can be a good thing with a playcaller and a quarterback, and it’s been nothing but trust, man. So, I’m excited for this year with him.”
With a complicated offense and tendency to go against the grain, Purdy has learned plenty from the experienced Shanahan.
And having trust in their passer has allowed San Francisco to open up their playbook, something Purday noted he doesn’t see on every team.
“Sometimes I feel like you can see coordinators keeping things really simple for quarterbacks,’ he said. “But, with [Shanahan], it’s been let’s see if you can handle it, and I feel like I’ve shown that.”
The Iowa State product said he feels like his coach isn’t “handcuffing me at all” regarding throws he’s trusted to read and execute.
Heading into 2025 with a new look roster, especially on the defensive end, most of Purdy’s offensive weapons are returning faces looking to get healthy.
WR Brandon Aiyuk is expected to be out until roughly mid-season, but TE George Kittle and HB Christian McCaffrey have been in full swing throughout training camp.
Having McCaffrey back, especially, who played just four games last season, is something that Purdy says helps unlock their offense.
“Not having him last year and what he can do within our offense, as a quarterback, it’s like, ‘Man, I would love to have this Hall of Famer in the backfield with me,'” Purdy said.
“The way he runs the ball, the way we can split him out, throw him the ball. And then it just opens up other guys, too. It’s crazy what one guy can do. Having him back and healthy is great.”
We’ll see if some of those guys get repetitions in preseason game two, set for Saturday against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
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Robert Saleh has returned to his role as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator, but the roster has been shaken up in the three years he was leading the New York Jets.
Heading into 2025, he’s expected to have a heavy reliance on rookies. 49ers’ general manager John Lynch spent their first five selections in the 2025 NFL Draft on defense.
First-round edge rusher Mykel Williams (No. 11) is the obvious highlight, but Saleh highlighted the importance of last week’s preseason debut as a “really good step” for another rookie lineman.
“I felt like Alfred [Collins] took a really good step in the game,” Saleh told reporters in Santa Clara on Monday. Defensive tackle Collins was San Francisco’s second-round selection.
Read More:
Robert Saleh says 49ers rookie “took a really good step” in preseason debut
Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule
Preseason
Saturday, August 16th – @ Las Vegas Raiders – 1:00 PM PT
Saturday, August 23rd – vs. Los Angeles Chargers – 5:30 PM PT
Regular Season
Sunday, September 7th – @ Seattle Seahawks – 1:05 PM PT *Season opener*
Sunday, September 14th – @ New Orleans Saints – 10:00 AM PT
Sunday, September 21st – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:25 PM PT
Sunday, September 28th – vs. Jacksonville Jaguars – 1:05 PM PT
Thursday, October 2nd – @ Los Angeles Rams – 5:15 PM PT
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