49ers QB Brock Purdy makes first public comments post UCL surgery

Posted By on March 31, 2023

Brock Purdy spoke publicly for the first time Friday since undergoing surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing arm. Speaking with the Roc & Manuch Show on Fox Sports 910AM in Phoenix, the 49ers quarterback detailed his surgery, his mindset, the 49ers role in his recovery and when he will get back to throwing.

Q: Walk us through, for those who have not had a surgery like that, walk us through that day. How long did it take and then how you are doing now.

Purdy:  Just went in, had surgery first thing in the morning. From there you’re on painkillers. You’re trying to just wake up and feel better. Then the next couple weeks is just about trying to get your range of motion. That’s where I’m at right now. Scars all where everything is healed up in stitches. I’m just working on my range of motion and start thowing in three months.

Q: Explain that sling/device on your arm and how it works. It looks like it’s high tech from the 2025 era or something like that.

Purdy. It’s an arm brace. When you first get in it after surgery you’re in it at 90-degrees. From there you can start opening it up to help with your range of motion. All it is, is just to keep your arm safe when you’re out walking around or doing therapy. At night I can take it off and just do some normal motions with just looking at my arm. But yeah, out in public it looks like I have a robotic arm.

Q: Are you past the frustration of having to leave that game? Are you now just focusing in on your rehab an preparing for next season?

Purdy: Yeah, no doubt. I think you have to move on. You have to start taking it one day at a time. Be where your feet are at. Stay in the present. Understand that we have a goal for this next season. That’s to get back to the NFC championship and win the Super Bowl. You do have to get past it. At the same time you have to remember the things that happen, that make you who you are. For me, I’m not going to let something like that tear me down. I’m going to learn from it and get better.

Q: How involved are the 49ers medical staff and all the people on a day in and day out basis? Did they fly out to Dallas as well to help with the surgery or be part of the surgery.

Purdy: They’ve been great. They’ve been in it every step of the way. The minute I went out and had surgery the head athletic trainer Dustin Little was out there with me. He made sure everything went well, and then after he made sure everything was handled as I got back to Arizona and started rehab. They’ve called in every day. They come out, they make sure I’m doing well. I’m with a specialist out here who’s done this rehab on the elbow hundreds of thousands of times. He’s a baseball guy and they trust in him and everything is going as planned.

Q: What does that curtail. What are some of the things you do on a daily basis? Walk us through your day of rehab.

Purdy: It’s hands on at first. He just makes sure all the muscles and everything around my ligament are doing well. That I’m working range of motion, trying to touch my shoulder or back of my head and just different things like that right now. Then we start of with putting weighted cuffs around my wrists an lifting up my arms, trying to get my arm strength back. Then as the stitches come out and you can start sweating and doing cardio, all of that blood flow helps your arm heal as well. There’s different stages to it, but it’s going well.

Q: At what point to they feel you can probably start throwing again? Is it two months, three months, or is there a certain criteria you’ll have to pass before they’ll let you start throwing a football?

Purdy: The protocol is you start throwing at three months, but it all depends on how your therapy and range of motion and everything goes up until that point. There are definitely some boxes I have to check off first before I get to that point, but that’s the plan as of now.

**You can listen to the interview here.**

This article has 42 Comments

  2. His accuracy might suffer next season as he and his arm are still learning to trust each other. Hopefully he feels more natural every game as season goes on.

    1. Brock gone be ok! He’s already looking back on it as just another stone to get better on. Move Forward>>>

    2. agree..as might the speed in throwing. I love Purdy’s character and personal qualities but I fear he may never be the same QB. He is a marginal player unless he is firing on all cylinders. Look for him to play 5-6 seasons or more into the season. Let us hope Trey can recapture his limelight status.

  3. Jack
    IMO, we can spend our time speculating on Purdy, Lance and Darnold, but until they prove they’re healthy and capable of winning games, it’s just SPECULATION by the fans and sports writers.
    Each of the 3 QB’s will get a chance to show KS who should start, who will be the back up and the 3Rd QB. But that won’t happen until after the pre season is over and Purdy is healthy enough to show if he’s number one.
    IN THE MEAN TIME: The 9ers, will be drafting new players beginning April 27th thru 29th…As a 9er fan, now that free agency is ending, I’d like to speculate on the players the 9ers will draft (a mock draft).

    * Will you post a 9er mock draft? If so, when? Looking forward to seeing not only yours, but all those on the blog posting theirs….. Some friendly competition and bragging rights, on who gets the most 9er draft picks right!
    (Not that I’m lucky enough to get any right)!

  4. Well, getting back to my favorite topic of the moment, I think what Shanahan has said about Darnold is very interesting. He believes that Sam has the skill set to be a very good QB. He also has insinuated that he played on bad teams with poor coaching which is why he failed in NY.

    It’ll be very interesting to see how he and Lance play in OTAs and in training camp as they apparently will be given an equal chance. If both do well, one of them could possibly be traded. I’ll bet that Shanahan is chomping at the bit, so to speak, to get his hands on Darnold and see how these two guys progress.

    I know some have speculated that one of these guys could end up being QB1 but I highly doubt that. It would be extremely hard to beat out someone who had the season Purdy did last year, unless something goes horribly wrong with his elbow.

    1. Felix
      A) If the 9ers trade Lance before June 1, it would escalate his 2022 salary cap from $9.3 million to $11.082 million.
      B) How Lance and Darnold play in OTAs and training camp will determine which one starts the first few games
      (depending when Purdy is ready), but who, if anyone, is traded won’t be determined until the end of the season.
      Why? INJURIES! Remember who finished the game against the Eagles?

    2. Felix,
      The 49ers are in a SB window with the current team. Darnold (if he could win the starting job) would be in a win SB or bust situation. In other words, he needs to be Jim Plunkett 2.0. Hey, it’s football, one never knows.

    3. He actually didn’t say they will get an equal chance. He said I imagine they will get some reps with the ones.
      Trey should have a sizeable lead to begin with as he knows the offense better… So he likely will get the most reps early on while Darnold is getting his footing.

  5. Agree with Jack that Kyle made another horrible personnel decision by allowing a less-than-mediocre TE to block one of the best edge rushers around. He made further mistakes with Trey. And who goes into the championship game with no viable QB? Crazy.

    1. Absolutely spot on, Allie. One of many horrible personnel decisions by the “genius” so beloved and besotted by Felix and some others here. Why they continue to defend this guy is simply beyond my football comprehension.

      1. 49ersUnderKSraBust says: “Why they continue to defend this guy is simply beyond my football comprehension……..
        * Hmm, maybe because the “genius” got the 9ers to the CHANPIONSHIP GAME with Mr. Irrelevant, after both of the starters, Lance and JG were injured? Oh, right! That was his fault too… I forgot! So If it rains, is that KS fault too?

      3. ” football comprehension” ………you have absolutely none!

        A coach that has you in SB contention every single year is extremely rare!
        doing so WITHOUT a star qb…..is absolutely unheard of!!!!
        A PROFESINAL football player being asked to block another professional, even one that is better ……is not unreasonable!
        Injuries occur all the time……blaming one on a coach …….and not bad luck ……is just ridiculous !

        You sound like Grant Clown. I know, we’ll fire KS…….who do you want…….Walsh, Lombardi or Shula?
        While were at it…..lets upgrade at qb. Montana, Marino and Favre are all available and in their early 20’s.

        Guys like you and Grant act like there is a surplus of GREAT coaches and QBs…….just available and to be had at a whim.
        You criticize GOOD because GREAT is better……..but you fail to contextualize any of it……either due to ignorance or deceitful disingenuousness………

        the fact of the matter is- there are 32 teams or 32 head coaching jobs as well as 32 starting QB jobs……..
        but at any given time…….only a hand full of GREAT HCs or QBs!!!!!!

        right now….only 1 truly great QB…..
        2 great HCs………

        i’ll let you figure out who.

  6. Shanahan gets something of a pass from Niner fans because we remember Jim Tomsula, Chip Kelly, Dennis Erickson, and the Mikes (Nolan, Singletary, OC Martz) and we don’t ever wanna go back there.

    Has he made some horrendous decisions? Absolutely. He does have an exceptional ability to scheme players wide open for big gains, and would make a really good OC. As HC he is a mixed bag.

    1. gw2, i agree with everything you said except the mixed bag part.
      KS and i are the same age. Thats young for a HC. KS has been here/ a HC since his late 30’s. Thats extremely young. Hes far from a finished product.
      The 2 HCs that are clearly better than him are 20-30 years older…… AR & BB.
      Kyle is on a VERY similar trajectory as AR.
      My next point will lead right into the Lance debate..
      AR knocked on the door for years with Mcnabb………But when Mcnabb left ARs side……his career was essentially over! You could argue AR inflated DM. Once AR got Mahomes……well………the NFL is on notice!

      Many niner fans are elated at the prospect of Lance being KSs Mahomes. TL has everything…….but that dosent guarantee he will reach his potential. I believe we have to see it through though . If we error by ending the TL era prematurely…..the price is not just seeing him excel elsewhere……..the price is multiple SBs squandered. A dynasty killed in the womb!
      I like Purdy and what he has done…..but we have seen CK and JG do the SAME EXACT THING ( have tremendous success early on…..indicating that stardom is around the corner) only to be disappointed in the long run.

  7. A mixed bag? He has assembled one the best rosters in football and gone to the NFC championship game 3 of the last 4 years. From what planet did you come from?

  8. I read that Anthony Richardson of Florida is projected to be a top 10 pick in the coming draft. If so, I pity the team who drafts him. Yes he has outstanding physical skills. Maybe the best ever for a QB but with his stats something big is obviously missing. I’m guessing it’s what’s above his neck.

    1. Thats a pretty harsh thing to say about someone you have never met and know very little about other than his stats. I watched him play 2-4 times last year and looked at his stats and I would guess what is missing like many college QBs is accuracy.

  9. Well obviously it’s lack of accuracy. Lol. So what causes inaccuracy? Could it be because he can’t comprehend the playbook or fully understand the rational behind the play or he can’t make decisions fast enough to run the play properly? It should be common knowledge to most people (but maybe not you) that intelligence is a huge factor in the success of a quarterback, Duh.

    1. Felix,
      I will stay away from personal attacks. Like allforfunplay has tried to tell you many many time academic intelligence has little to do with NFL QB success. Terry Bradshaw and Dan Marino proved that years ago. Its all about reaction time. Some of the top wonderlic scores have been achieved by some of the poorest QBs. Inaccuracy is normally caused by mechanical issues. Now I tried to refute your point while being as respectful as I can. I would love to receive a mature respectful reply from you but I have a feeling I will be in store for a long wait. imho

      1. There are many attributes that can help make a successful QB. A newer test that has been discussed recently on this blog correlates very highly to QB success and that test measures decision making ability. Intelligence and the ability to comprehend the playbook also correlates highly. So what are Richardsons mechanical issues? I’ll stick to my opinion. Can you name a highly intelligent QB who was a poor QB.

        1. Felix says: “Can you name a highly intelligent QB who was a poor QB?”

          * Tony Eason drafted RD one 1983, was perhaps a victim of the year? The 1983 class might have been the best ever. Eason was picked two picks after Jim Kelly and before Dan Marino, yet he never had the same success. Eason’s best years were early, from 1984 to 1986, where he led the Patriots to a Super Bowl and was expected to replace the aging Steve Grogan. Unfortunately, Eason never put up the numbers expected of a top passer.
          He moved on to the Jets in 1989, but never again regained the starting job regularly. His Super Bowl XX performance ranks as the worst ever and he is one of few quarterbacks to actually be benched during the title game.

          Jeff George, drafted first in Rd one 1990. The Colts were looking for a franchise quarterback after a long period of futility, traded up in 1990 for George and gave him the richest contract in league history for a rookie. He would be playing for his hometown team, a blessing for most NFL players. For George, it was a curse.
          He was a foul player on the field and displayed an equally foul attitude off it. He made rude gestures to fans, argued openly with his head coach (Ted Marchibroda) and demanded a trade. After four years, he got his wish and was shipped to Atlanta.

          * Giovanni Carmazzi, drafted in 2000 to be the 9ers future QB position. He never was! Tim Rattay, drafted in the 7th Rd. of the same draft, beat him out in 2001 and became the team’s top backup behind Jeff Garcia.
          Carmazzi was out of the league after 2001. He never threw a touchdown or interception and has a 0.0 rating. He also was drafted ahead of Tom Brady, Bay Area-native and Joe Montana.

          Matt Leinart, drafted Round 1, 10th Overall, 2006. Leinart was drafted to lead the Cardinals, but instead found himself on the bench in favor of Kurt Warner after he failed miserably to develop into a QB for the Arizona Cardinals. Leinart won a Heisman at USC, but that’s never been a good indicator of NFL success. He has accuracy and injury problems and is currently a backup with the Texans. Maybe he can become a late bloomer, but he’s been in the league for 6 years with nothing to show.

          Brady Quinn, Drafted in Rd one 2007. The drop of Quinn on draft day (combined with the minute-by-minute coverage of him sitting alone in the Green Room waiting to be introduced), was some of the better theater ever in draft coverage. But it foreshadowed what was to come!
          Quinn was taken by the Browns after they traded back into the first round. It was thought he would team with fellow rookie Joe Thomas to help rebuild the Cleveland offense.
          The fact that he’d been coached by NFL offensive guru Charlie Weis didn’t help when he failed miserably with the Browns and was subsequently and unceremoniously dealt to Denver in 2010, where he sits behind Tim Tebow.

          THE LIST GOES ON, (Tommy Maddox, Vince Young), BUT YOU GET THE IDEA?

          1. Yes, lots of high draft picks never do well I’d guess it’s a 50/ 50 proposition.

  10. Felix,
    Gregg McElroy tied for the highest score ever.
    Blaine Gabbert 2nd highest score ever.
    Matt Flynn 5th highest score ever.
    Matt Lienart/Sam Bradford/Christian Ponder tied for the 11th highest score ever

    1. OldCoach
      I don’t know about his IQ, but my favorite 9er bust was the one and only Jim Druckenmiller! The 9ers drafted him late in Rd one to take over for aging Steve Young. As I’m sure you know, he had great size (6’5″) for a QB and a cannon for an arm. The story was that he could throw a football 100 yards, unfortunately, he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with the throw. His inaccuracy became legendary and he lasted only two years in SF before being dealt to and released by the Dolphins!

      2. Geep, not withstanding his admitted personal attack above, which I responded to and then he doubled down. Yea he’s a real gentleman.

    3. OC, there is street smart and there is book smart.
      On the football field you need street smart or game smart.
      It’s a different kind of intelligence that is less measurable but very visible when in action.
      A good car mechanic has it, even though nowadays it’s ore about reading computers.

      1. Dee,
        I call them football smarts. Every High school or college coach has had that kid who struggled academically but was the smartest players on the field/floor.

    4. And also some QBs with low scores that went on to great success. There are lots of different kinds of intelligence. I wonder how relevant the wonderlic is to football.

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