49ers fans can feel at ease with Brock Purdy.
Part of what made 2025 an incredible year for the San Francisco 49ers was their ability to win 12 games without their starting quarterback available for half the season.
Brock Purdy suffered a turf toe injury in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. He missed a few games before returning in Week 4, where he ended up reaggravating the injury. Purdy went on to miss six consecutive games from there. When he did return, he looked much better than he did in Week 4, but still didn’t look fully fit. By the time the season ended, his turf toe didn’t seem to be a factor. However, it’s a tricky injury and could linger — which is why Purdy was asked about it at his press conference on Monday.
“It feels great,” Purdy said. “And like I told you guys last year when I came back, when I do come back from this toe debacle thing, I’ll be good to play my way of ball. That was the whole thing, and I did. Obviously, with some time off and some more training and things like that, it feels great. I’m feeling like I’m in a really good spot.”
The update is exactly what 49ers fans and the organization wanted to hear. Purdy is no longer being hampered by the turf toe injury in any way. It’s tremendous news because he won’t have to spend any time trying to rehab it heading into the offseason program and training camp.
Still, the injury serves as a reminder that Purdy is trending toward injury-prone territory. He’s not there yet, and he’s not knocking on the door of it either. But he has taken steps in that direction. The 2026 season will be a big one for him — not just in terms of performance, which it always is for every quarterback, but for his health as well. It won’t matter how impressive he is if he can’t stay on the field.
The 49ers clearly don’t view him as a fully reliable player when it comes to availability. Otherwise, they would have traded backup Mac Jones for a Day 2 pick. Instead, they held onto Jones as insurance, a prudent move given the odds that Purdy could miss games next season.
His turf toe injury from this past season should remain at the back of everyone’s minds. It’s not uncommon for players to suffer that same injury again in the following seasons. It just better not happen next year — or the injury-prone label will open up in full force.
For now, though, Purdy enters the offseason with a clean bill of health and renewed confidence. After proving the 49ers could thrive without him for stretches of 2025, the question for 2026 is whether he can finally deliver a full, durable season and help turn those 12 wins into something even bigger.
