Since taking over midway through the 2022 season, the former Mr. Irrelevant has shined in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. In 2023, he made the Pro Bowl and led the Niners to the Super Bowl. Purdy’s stats fell off in 2024, as the entire club dealt with injury, but he continued to show he can make the right throws in the structure of Shanahan’s scheme.
After a mid-career lull while dealing with injuries, Kittle has gotten back over the 1,000-yard plateau each of the two seasons that Purdy has been the full-time starter in San Francisco.
The six-time Pro Bowl tight end brushed aside questions about whether or not Purdy can ever live up to his big contract, citing the locker room culture and the QB’s mental capacity.
“Our team has done such a good job of building our culture of get into the building, grind, work really, really hard, attack every single day and the outside noise will take care of itself,” Kittle said. “People like to talk about stuff. I think playing quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers is one of the biggest spotlights in sports because of the guys that played before us. I think that’s just what comes with the job. It is what it is. I’m not too worried about Brock.
“He was in Nashville with me a bunch this year. We got to run a bunch of routes together, work out together, and that is one determined person. His work ethic has been awesome. Just looking forward to getting back in the building with him next week.”
The Niners veterans report for training camp next Tuesday, July 22, as they attempt to bounce back from a 6-11 season.