Last season was frustrating for Brock Purdy. For a brief moment, some fans wondered whether the San Francisco 49ers were better off with Mac Jones under center. Those questions would’ve never come up had Purdy not suffered multiple injuries during the first half of the season.
Despite the wins stacking up, the offense didn’t feel the same without Purdy. The field shrank. The margin for error was non-existent. And whenever the 49ers stepped up in class, it was a rude awakening. Then Purdy returned
in Week 11 and threw three touchdowns.
But he followed that performance up with a stinker against the Panthers. Brock might’ve been one more poor throw away from getting benched. He had three interceptions, but it felt like every time he dropped back, there was a chance for a turnover.
The box score doesn’t always tell the full story. The next week against Cleveland, Purdy put up pedestrian numbers, but made the plays the team needed him to make and looked as if he’d turned a corner. Sure enough, we would see the best of Brock over the next three games.
Injuries to Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle took the wind out of the sails in the final weeks of the season. Still, Purdy threw for 20 touchdowns despite playing roughly half of the season. According to Sports Info Solutions, Purdy was more valuable than Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Sam Darnold.
The 2026 season sets up well for Purdy, as he should have the best supporting cast since 2023.
Basic Info
Age: 27
Experience: 4 accrued seasons
Height: 6’1
Weight: 212 pounds
Cap Status
Purdy enters the second year of his $265 million contract. Purdy’s new deal paid him $177.2 million in new guarantees. He also received $40 million as a signing bonus. Purdy gets $46.9 million of that in 2026, thanks to a $37.75 million option bonus that was fully guaranteed this year.
Next season will be the final year with any guarantees remaining on Purdy’s contract. It’s worth noting that the 49ers added several void years to help spread out the $72.7 million option bonus.
However, if the injuries continue to mount, the 49ers could get out of his contract after the 2027 season and end up saving nearly $50 million in cap savings. It’s worth bringing up because the 49ers wouldn’t put an out in their franchise quarterback’s contract if they didn’t have the smallest fear of injury lingering.
Will this be a career year for Brock?
The layer king will have a staple of weapons in 2026. Mike Evans is the most accomplished receiver Purdy will have ever targeted. Ricky Pearsall as your WR2 when he’s not the focal point of the opposing defense’s game plan will be fun to watch.
Then you have a young crop of wideouts from De’Zhaun Stribling to Jacob Cowing who could serve as the ultimate wild cards for an electric offense that includes Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle.
If you extrapolate what Purdy did in 2025 to a full season, he comes close to, if not eclipses, what he did in 2023. So is it a stretch to think he’ll have a career year in 2026? Not really.
The yards per attempt should be closer to nine than seven thanks to the speed on the field. The lack of speed bogged down the offense a year ago. We know Brock is a chucker. We know he wants to push the ball down the field. When Kendrick Bourne and Jauan Jennings are two of your primary options, passes over 10 yards aren’t going to be the norm.
How many touchdowns does Purdy throw for in 2026?
Since he took over as the starter, 31, 20, and 20 have been the number of touchdowns Purdy threw for in a season. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has his passing props for 3,650.5 yards, with his touchdown prop set at 27.5.
The yardage would be fewer than in 2024. That feels….low. The touchdowns do too, on the surface, but we should point out that only five quarterbacks threw for more than 27 touchdowns last season. I’d take the over on both props. Of course, there’s an injury risk. Or McCaffrey vulturing a handful of touchdowns near the goal line.
What say you?
