Breer: The idea that Purdy could be Shanahan’s guy for the next decade isn’t out of the question

The 49ers played in a preseason game without their starting quarterback. We cannot ignore that. Brock Purdy is their guy. The team hasn’t hidden that since the playoffs ended, and the players have stood behind Purdy.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer spent some time in Santa Clara late last week, and confirmed what everyone already knew: It’s Purdy’s squad:

Outside this building, there are a ton of questions about whether San Francisco has done enough to service the rest of a loaded team with the best option at the most important position on the field. Inside it, that doubt really doesn’t exist. In fact, if you ask those who work in Santa Clara, the idea that Purdy could be Kyle Shanahan’s guy for the next decade isn’t out of the question—which says plenty about where they stand.

I think people talk themselves into the idea that Kyle will put more on Purdy’s shoulders, but that’s never been the case since Shanahan’s been the 49ers play-caller, and it won’t start now with a quarterback who is still wet behind the ears.

So the arguments make sense when you frame it like, “will Purdy be able to go head-to-head with Patrick Mahomes?” When in reality, it’s can Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel match Mahomes score for score.

Shanahan tried to temper expectations about Brock, while acknowledging how well he played and what that meant to the 49ers last year:

“That’s a big statement, especially when you say a decade. The games Brock played in, he played at as high a level as you could ask for, as consistent a level as you can ask for. Hell yeah, you can win with that and be very happy with that. That was [seven full] games, there’s a lot that goes into it, and we’ll see how it goes. I mean, we played good enough in those games to say we’re going with him this year.

And to go with a guy for one year means you better believe that stuff.”

Breer’s profile on Purdy explains how Brock dropped weight, nearly ten pounds, to improve his flexibility, which would help him throw from different arm angles and have better mechanics.

Interestingly enough, Shanahan told Breer that the 49ers had a fourth-round grade on Purdy:

“He’s a smaller guy. Where he played, I thought watching stuff at Iowa State, when you think of the wind there, the weather, and you watch his size, it’s not like the ball on tape was just looking like a first-round pick. And then you look at his measurables and you start to think that way versus what you see, like, Man, this guy plays like a really good quarterback. We gave him a fourth-round grade.”

Despite having three sixth rounders, the Niners didn’t take Purdy. General manager John Lynch insists that now Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese convinced that it wasn’t worth letting Purdy get to free agency.

The story continues, explaining how Purdy’s mind could keep up with Shanahan’s. When we talk about excelling at quarterback, completion percentages, arm strength, that’s not what wins over coaches in the meeting rooms.

They need to know a quarterback can handle a full workload, can process a defense, get his eyes to the correct spot, and about a dozen other traits that go into running an offense.

It’s evident that Shanahan values Purdy’s intangibles highly enough to where he’s comfortable giving Brock the keys to the offense. That says a lot about Purdy.