George Kittle spoke on Brock Purdy’s leadership abilities.

Following a disappointing season for the San Francisco 49ers, tight end George Kittle had nothing but encouraging words for the team’s young quarterback Brock Purdy, per David Lombardi on X.

“George Kittle: ‘I think Brock took a huge step forward as a leader this year. I really do,’ ” Lombardi wrote.

Although it didn’t result in more wins on their record, Kittle was proud of Purdy’s growth within the leadership department.

Considering how important it is for a quarterback to be a strong leader, this is a strong revelation for the former Mr. Irrelevant of the 2022 NFL Draft.

However, with Purdy on the verge of his second NFL contract, he apparently would like it done sooner rather than later.

49ers QB Brock Purdy eyeing new contract

After being selected with the 262nd pick in 2022, very few expected Purdy to be at the spot he is in his third season.

Purdy, a four-year starter for Iowa State, threw for 12,170 yards as a Cyclone, completing 67.7% of passes in his college football career.

Then, after falling to the very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the 49ers took a chance on him just one season after trading up for quarterback Trey Lance.

But, with both Jimmy Garoppolo and Lance fizzling out, head coach Kyle Shanahan was ready to hand the keys of the offense to Mr. Irrelevant.

Now, going on his third season with the team, Purdy has seen both highs and lows.

Through 40 games, Purdy has started in 36 of them, leading the 49ers to a 23-13 record.

However, given his injury history and overall lower production in 2024, the 49ers are in an interesting spot.

Not only do they have to pay Purdy, but their roster is full of aging veterans who require a pretty penny to remain on the roster.

Since he was selected so late in the draft, Purdy’s rookie contract was as cheap as it could’ve been, as he signed a four-year contract worth $3.7 million. Now, however, Purdy’s price tag went up significantly. Now, Purdy’s looking at a market value of $59.7 million per year, per Spotrac, which would force the 49ers to do some roster management to make work.

Going into 2025, the 49ers have the ninth-most cap space in the NFL with just north of $67.6 million. So, if they think Purdy is their quarterback moving forward, signing him to that contract and making the necessary moves to do so makes sense.

However, if the 49ers think they can do better than Purdy at quarterback, the idea of trading him or letting him walk in free agency is there. With that, even if the 49ers don’t think Purdy is their long-term answer, it’d be shocking to see them let him leave via free agency.

And while Kittle gave the 49ers’ quarterback a vote of confidence on his growth as a leader, it’ll be interesting to see if that— along with his abilities as a passer— are enough to earn him a new contract.