San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will return to the lineup and start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, he said Thursday, after missing six consecutive games and eight of the past nine with a lingering toe injury.
“I feel really good, healthy, excited to be back and ready to lead the guys,” Purdy said.
Purdy suffered the injury in the season opener in Seattle, then aggravated it in his first game back against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4. He said Thursday he didn’t regret returning against the Jaguars.
“No, going into that week I felt good, I really did,” he said. “I just got caught in an awkward position with my toe (on a tackle).”
Purdy said he’s been told he won’t need surgery on the toe, and he does not plan to wear any sort of protective steel insert.
His last full participation in practice was Sept. 26. Backup Mac Jones has started the past six games, while the team has taken Purdy’s recovery more slowly the second time around. Purdy practiced on a limited basis for the past four weeks and was listed as questionable for the past two games. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy was healthy enough to dress Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams as a backup, but he decided not to put the QB in that situation.
Shanahan said Wednesday that Purdy would practice aggressively this week, giving him a chance to start against the Cardinals if all went well. The coach reiterated that Purdy, when healthy, would start ahead of Jones, who is 5-3 as a starter this season.
“It’s not a hard decision. It’s more about Brock’s health,” Shanahan said. “It’s been awesome how Mac’s played. He’s been great. But we’ve got a lot of confidence in Brock, and we know Brock will play at a high level too, as long as he’s healthy.
George Kittle looking forward to getting Brock Purdy back. #49ers pic.twitter.com/1Wcz0vx7Kb
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 13, 2025
“Looking forward to playing with Brock again,” tight end George Kittle said. “I thoroughly enjoy just his energy and his leadership out there.”
This story will be updated.