Kyle Shanahan Explains Why 49ers' Challenging Season Will Benefit Brock Purdy

This has certainly been the toughest season of Purdy's young career.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

For the first time in his young NFL career, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy heads into a game with nothing outside of pride to play for the remainder of the season. The 49ers were officially eliminated from the postseason right before their game against the Miami Dolphins last week, and have two more games before their disappointing 2025 campaign is over for good.

This year, Purdy has had to contend with significant adversity on the field. The 49ers have come up short in several late-game situations, dealt with injuries to multiple All-Pro players like Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, and Trent Williams, and will now miss the postseason for the first time in Purdy's career.

In turn, Purdy's play has taken a dip. While he has shown greater off-schedule playmaking ability, he has also missed on some of the throws that made him one of the most efficient passers in the league his first two seasons. His completion percentage is down over four percentage points from last season, his passer rating is nearly 20 points lower, and his touchdown-interception ratio has dropped from 31/11 to 17/10.

Though his performance has statistically regressed, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes that these challenges could end up benefitting Purdy in the long run.

"It's been a more challenging situation this year," Shanahan said. "I think it's going to end being really good for him in the long run ... I think this year just having a number of his guys down has been harder on him but usually that stuff can make you better. I think he's fought through it all year."

Kyle Shanahan thinks it's good for Brock Purdy to be in a much more "challenging" situation this season:

"I think it's going to end being really good for him in the long run... I think this year just having a number of his guys down has been harder on him but usually that stuff… pic.twitter.com/VXuWSgBh6x

— Kevin Krueger (@kevinkruegs) December 26, 2024

When Purdy initially became the 49ers' starter in the second half of the 2022 season, he took over arguably the most talented roster in football. They made the NFC championship game, and then the Super Bowl the following season. He rose to the occasion in both of those seasons, but he also had incredible help around him for a young quarterback.

Purdy has not seen those results this season, and will now have an offseason to figure out how to rebound. If the reports that the 49ers plan on extending Purdy's contract this offseason are true, the 49ers' future could depend on how Purdy responds to the struggles of this season.

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