PHOENIX (AP) — Brock Purdy doesn’t mind competing for a starting job after going 7-1 and bringing the San Francisco 49ers within one game of the Super Bowl.
Purdy and the 49ers fell way short in the NFC championship game after he injured his elbow. He eventually returned to close out the 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles when backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion but he couldn’t throw.
Purdy told the AP the “internal brace” procedure that he’ll undergo on Feb. 22 to repair the tear in his ulnar collateral ligament requires a six-month recovery process. He’s expected to start throwing after three months. A reconstructive Tommy John surgery would’ve kept him out for the entire 2023 season.
With Niners coach Kyle Shanahan already saying veteran Jimmy Garoppolo won’t return, 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance will likely enter the offseason as the starter. Lance is recovering from a broken ankle sustained in Week 2.
“At the end of the day, both Trey and I, we want to win. We want to bring a Super Bowl back to San Francisco. We want to do whatever it takes,” Purdy told the AP Pro Football Podcast. “And, if that takes us competing and bring out the best during camp, so be it. Let’s do it. And so we’re both excited to get back after it this year. But first things first, we both have to get healthy.”
Purdy’s goal is to be ready for training camp, but that’ll only be five months post-surgery.
“We’ll see what happens and how I feel post-surgery and how the process is going,” Purdy said. “But yeah, that’s the plan is to get back for camp and be ready for the whole season.”
Purdy went from being the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft to finishing third in voting for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He threw for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions in the regular season and his 108 passer rating in the regular season and playoffs was highest ever for a rookie with at least 200 passes.
“Going all the way throughout the whole season with all the ups and downs, with people going down and then getting on a hot streak at the end and losing in the NFC championship, it was tough,” Purdy said. “But everything happens for a reason, man. And, we’re looking at the bright things and trusting that God is working through all of this.”
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