Brock Purdy casts doubt about status for 2023
There are many conflicting reports regarding exactly when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will play again, and the 23-year-old QB isn’t sure himself.
In a recent interview with Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports, Purdy admitted that there’s a possibility he might not even play next season, despite what general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have been telling reporters.
“Purdy is no longer wearing [an elbow] brace,” Epstein wrote. “That remains an early step in recovery, Purdy saying Friday he’s ‘not really sure, honestly’ whether he’ll play in 2023 as he takes it ‘one day at a time.’”
Lynch is on-record stating Purdy should be ready for training camp, which starts near the end of July, while Shanahan gave a more conservative estimate of Week 4 of the regular season as a target date for his QB’s return.
According to Lynch, Purdy was the presumed frontrunner to win the 49ers’ starting quarterback job based on his performance at the end of the season in which he went 7-1 as a starter, passing for 1,943 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while leading San Francisco to the NFC Championship game before tearing his UCL.
“We’re all working to get me back as soon as possible but in the right manner,” Purdy said. “I’ve just got to take it one day at a time, get healthy, start throwing again and things like that. And then just go from there. But it’s all going to work out how it needs to.”
The 49ers signed former first rounder Sam Darnold during free agency to compete with 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance while Purdy recovers. Should Purdy miss the 2023 season, the two could be battling during camp to be the full-time starter.
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