49ers GM addresses possible Brock Purdy health concern

San Francisco 49ers general manager and Hall of Fame safety John Lynch knows plenty about the type of stingers quarterback Brock Purdy has suffered in back-to-back games. 

"I had gone 11 years in Tampa . . . and they became regular to the point where I had to have neck surgery," Lynch said about his experience with stingers during an appearance on sports radio station KNBR, per Jerry McDonald of The Mercury News. "I know exactly what he’s dealing with. You’ve kind of got to break the cycle of getting ‘em on a weekly basis and it’s just in the last couple of weeks. His have been minor and they’re not fun. Hopefully, we can move past that. I think he responded really well to this one and hopefully we’re in a good place. We can protect him and get him kind of away from that and not make that something he’s dealing with anymore."

Merriam-Webster describes a stinger as a nerve injury that includes "a painful burning sensation that radiates from the neck down the arm and is often accompanied by weakness or numbness of the affected area." Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle mentioned that Purdy had no previous history of stingers before the 24-year-old dealt with an issue during the Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 17. 

Purdy suffered another shoulder stinger late in Monday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Lynch indicated he's not yet concerned about Purdy's long-term health heading into this Sunday's game at the Washington Commanders.

"Believe me, we would never put Brock in a position where we don’t think it’s smart for him to be out there and obviously there’s a bunch of highly-qualified docs that are evaluating," Lynch added about Purdy's status. "Brock’s in a good place and we’re confident he can go out there and perform and be healthy out there." 

The 49ers remain atop the overall NFC standings ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions but have work to do to earn the No. 1 seed for the postseason. Meanwhile, the DraftKings Sportsbook listed Purdy fifth among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to win the Most Valuable Player Award as of Friday afternoon following his awful performance against Baltimore on Christmas night.