SANTA CLARA — With Brock Purdy on the verge of a potential $60 million per year salary next season and solidified as the unquestioned leader of the 49ers, it’s been at least a little interesting to see his offense struggle over the last two days.
Purdy threw four interceptions at the 49ers second padded practice Tuesday, and this happened with most of the major players practicing after some scheduled days off on Monday. They came on four of his last five throws and the last one — by cornerback Deommodore Lenoir — was ready perfectly as he broke for the end zone on a would-be pick six.
With national media as well as local on hand the last two days, there will be at least some speculation as to whether Purdy is due for a fall. The amount of Purdy skeptics has dwindled considerably, but there are still those who consider him a “system” quarterback overly dependent on coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Good luck finding any of his teammates that share that theory, but that’s the environment of a quarterback who could make upwards of $60 million per season one year after passing for a club record 4,280 yards and and leading his team to the Super Bowl after two come-from-behind playoff wins.
Purdy threw only 11 interceptions all season in 2023.
Which begs the question — how concerned are you about Purdy’s early camp struggles?:
— Extremely concerned
No established quarterback should throw seven picks in two days. He’s obviously forcing things to live up to the hype created by his first two seasons and maybe Year 3 is a time for regression for one of the NFL’s most remarkable stories.
— Somewhat concerned
It’s Purdy’s first true training camp given last year’s rehab from UCL surgery on his elbow and a rookie season where he got few snaps in camp. He should be a lot better than this. Purdy’s talked about being perfect and dominating, minimizing errors while at the same time executing the offense as called. It’s worth watching.
— Not concerned at all
Purdy is 17-4 as a starter in the regular season, completing 68.4 percent of his passes with 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He’s 4-2 in the playoffs with four touchdown passes and one interceptions. And the early days of training camp include no game-planning. He’s throwing passes he would never attempt when it matters.
