Legendary 49ers quarterback Steve Young has a lot of faith in current San Francisco signal-caller Brock Purdy.
Despite the team’s 6-11, playoff-less 2024 NFL season, Young believes Purdy -- once his contract situation is addressed -- can revive the 49ers, who are less than a calendar year removed from their overtime Super Bowl LVIII loss to the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs.
In talking to 95.7 The Game’s Mark Willard and Dan Dibley on Friday, Young detailed how San Francisco and Purdy can get the most out of each other, emphasizing the 25-year-old's greater schematic responsibility.
“Brock, I’ve said this 1000 times, his superpower is processing,” Young told Willard and Dibley. “And he can process better than almost any of them. I would put him up against anybody, but he’s not going to be running around like Jayden Daniels, so he needs to figure out ways to make up for that. And some of those ways, if you’re a great processor, is, ‘Give me more opportunities coming out of the huddle. Any guys that are open, I can process and find them.’”
Purdy finished his second full season as the 49ers’ starter by completing 300 of 455 pass attempts for 3,864 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions; not bad, considering his key targets, such as wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and running back Christian McCaffrey, missed the majority of the 2024 campaign with season-ending injuries.
Young would like to see the 49ers continue to retain and stock their talent department. When healthy, San Francisco’s big names make the team that much better and Purdy that much more effective -- an obvious, but often forgotten fact.
“And that’s why having five or six [big-name] guys coming out of the huddle the year when went to the Super Bowl [LVIII], we were leading the league in yards per attempt behind the line of scrimmage,” Young told Willard and Dibley. “We had people open all over the place. And Brock fills all that up. If we’re going to be in the Super Bowl, we need to be laden with talent.
San Francisco 49ers
“I’m sure that’s obvious for every team, but we have to have extra talent to make sure we give Brock Purdy every chance to go win us Super Bowls. Every quarterback needs tons of help, and Brock needs every inch of it to be in the Super Bowl again.”
Purdy led the NFL with 9.6 yards per pass attempt during San Francisco’s electric Super Bowl run. Then, McCaffrey, Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel were mostly available and the results proved Young’s ideals triumphant.
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But even with or without the offensive weapons, there is something else Young wants Purdy to have the opportunity to maximize: His legs.
"I said during the season a couple of times, I think [49ers coach Kyle Shanahan] should call our RPOs for Brock,” Young told Willard and Dibley. ’We should put him on the run out of the huddle where he’s going to carry it. The threat that he needs to bring look, we understand the processing power, but that’s the game today.”
Purdy keeps defenses on their toes with his rushing ability. He ran for 323 yards and five touchdowns this season and has impressed rivals with his mobility, making Young’s case extremely valid.
Plus, the Hall of Famer believes the NFL is an RPO-heavy game and won’t be slowing down soon in that regard, making Purdy -- the runner -- an interesting avenue for Shanahan to potentially use more.
The 49ers have much to address during their offseason. First and foremost, San Francisco and Purdy must agree on presumably a massive number for a lengthy extension, and Young hopes money will be left over to attract more stars to the Bay,
With all of that said, though, Young is excited about the possibilities that come with Purdy having a larger role in the 49ers’ offense, whether with his legs, eyes or mind.