After a grueling 2023 offseason, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been enjoying his time off this year without any surgeries or injury rehab.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Purdy was asked how he felt finally having some downtime this offseason compared to last year when he had surgery to repair a torn UCL he suffered in the 2023 NFC Championship Game.
“Yeah, it was huge,” Purdy said. “I got married really a year since surgery. I got surgery March 10 [last year]. I got married March 9 [this year]. So for me it was like, this is going to be a different kind of offseason. It's nice that I don't have to be on this schedule and regime of rehab, rehab, rehab, get healthy and sort of stress about am I going to make it back for the season or not?
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“So, it's been nice to obviously marry Jenna and then we sort of just have an offseason to breathe and reflect on really the last two years because it's been go, go, go. So, for me it's been really good, just mentally and sort of having that hunger to come back and be ready to roll.”
Purdy spent much of the 2023 NFL offseason working his way back for elbow surgery before reassuming his role as San Francisco’s starting quarterback, leading the team to another Super Bowl appearance. He showed no ill effects from the elbow injury during an MVP-caliber season, setting a franchise record for passing yards and finishing in fourth place in the NFL MVP voting.
Purdy then was asked if he had looked back at last season and noticed aspects of his game that he could improve upon as he enters his third NFL season, with the signal-caller explaining that he has looked back at game film and noticed plenty of things he can work on.
“Yeah, just going back and watching the games and sort of seeing the themes of what pop up and then when I go out on the field and like hammer away at the little details,” Purdy explained. “The fundamentals, just with footwork and timing, my eyes, concepts, all of it.
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“There's a lot of stuff that I think I can clean up and get better at for sure. So coming back here, it's been great sitting down with the coaches and going over games and concepts, how I can continue to get better. So obviously it's good that we have a lot of film to watch.
“Where my rookie year you have seven games or so where it's like these are things that came up, but also you’ve got to rehab and get your arm healthy. So now I can actually attack those things at practice and on the field, routes on air, all that kind of stuff. So I can sort of hone into trying to master my craft.”
While Purdy has exceeded expectations since being selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the 49ers have fallen short of winning the Super Bowl, with last season’s 25-22 overtime loss in Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs still looming large over the organization.
With one season left before he is due for a big contract extension, Purdy and the 49ers are heavily focused on winning now as the young quarterback’s rookie contract affords San Francisco more roster-building flexibility.
While there still exists an air of uncertainty over an extension for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the organization still plans on keeping the bulk of its offensive playmakers heading into the 2024 season.
With a healthy and locked-in Purdy, the 49ers are expected to go on another deep postseason run in search of that elusive sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.