George Kittle made a pretty bold declaration regarding the future of the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback room. Kittle appeared on Bleacher Report’s The Voncast. On the show, Buffalo Bills star Von Miller asked Kittle if Brock Purdy is the future of the 49ers. He asked Kittle that while also considering names like Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.
"It's Brock's job to lose" – George Kittle on the 49ers' QB situation pic.twitter.com/6x5Mwf5txZ
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 9, 2023
“You can’t [not] talk about Brock Purdy — what he did,” Kittle said. “He’s fantastic. Our offense was operating at the highest it’s probably been since 2019. In my opinion, it’s Brock’s job to lose. There will be completion because Brock’s gonna be out until training camp with his surgery; it’s gonna be interesting. When you find a guy like that, that can seamlessly jump in? I mean, I think it’s his job to lose.”
Purdy sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow in the NFC Championship game. But NFL Network Ian Rapoport recently reported that Purdy should be ready for training camp. That is, of course, after he undergoes elbow surgery later this month.
Rapoport tweeted Wednesday, “#49ers QB Brock Purdy will meet with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Feb. 21 and plans to have surgery to repair his torn UCL on the 22nd, sources say. The surgery, set to be done by the respected #Rangers doc, will allow Purdy to make a full recovery & be ready for training camp.”
#49ers QB Brock Purdy will meet with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Feb. 21 and plans to have surgery to repair his torn UCL on the 22nd, sources say. The surgery, set to be done by the respected #Rangers doc, will allow Purdy to make a full recovery & be ready for training camp. pic.twitter.com/9ahMWbqPD1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2023
While Kittle showed unwavering confidence in Purdy, he also mentioned that Lance hasn’t gotten a fair shake. His first start of the 2022 season was in a “monsoon” and then he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
“Trey’s still got plenty of talent, he just needs to get out there and play,” said Kittle.
Kittle said he didn’t know what was going on with Garoppolo, who is a free agent. Head coach Kyle Shanahan already made some pretty telling comments though. He got brutally honest about Garoppolo’s future with the organization.
Who will be under center for the 49ers come Week 1 of the 2023 season? It remains to be seen. But it’s clear that one of San Francisco’s biggest names will back Brock Purdy going into the off-season.
