San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation in Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday.
Although it is unlikely Purdy will play for the 49ers (6-10) in Sunday’s season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, Shanahan said the news on Purdy’s elbow was positive and that no long-term injury was expected.
Purdy, who tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in the NFC Championship Game two years ago, described the feeling in his elbow after the game.
“I got hit on the backside and basically just my arm was on fire kind of thing,” Purdy, 25, said. “I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and I couldn’t at that point.”
Early indications Monday night were that Purdy had a nerve issue rather than ligament problem.
Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen are the backup QBs in San Francisco.
If Purdy sits Sunday against Arizona (7-9), he will finish his third NFL season with a 65.9 completion percentage (300 of 455) for 3,864 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Purdy has gone from “Mr. Irrelevant” — denoting the final pick of the draft — in 2022 to the starting quarterback on a team that made back-to-back appearances in the NFC title game.
He is entering the final season of a four-year, $3.73 million contract he signed in June 2022. San Francisco will need to discuss Purdy’s long-term future with the club in the offseason.
