San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is battling injuries to his toe and his left (non-throwing) shoulder, putting his status for Week 2’s game against the New Orleans Saints in doubt, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday.
Shanahan said Purdy’s toe injury is more serious than the shoulder injury. He did not specify which toe is injured, or on which foot. Shanahan said the team will see how Purdy progresses at practice before deciding whether to sign a veteran quarterback behind backup Mac Jones.
Meanwhile, tight end George Kittle will miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury that forced him out in the second quarter of Sunday’s season-opening win over the Seahawks in Seattle. Shanahan did not rule out the possibility of Kittle going on injured reserve, which would require him to miss at least four weeks, but said no decision has been made yet and the team is hopeful Kittle can return sooner.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings has a chance to play against the Saints but remains under evaluation, Shanahan said. His MRI checked out fine, and the team is waiting for the results of his CT scan.
Purdy played all 76 snaps on Sunday. He tossed the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:34 to play while running to his right from pressure and taking a hit from Seahawks pass rusher Derick Hall. Shanahan said Purdy’s shoulder was injured when he was driven into the turf in the first half. He did not specify when the toe injury occurred.
Purdy, 25, finished with 277 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first game since signing a five-year, $265 million contract in May. Now in his fourth NFL season, he has missed time previously with multiple injuries to his throwing arm. Purdy had surgery on his right elbow following the 2022 season, then missed two games in 2024, one because of his right shoulder and one because of his right elbow. He also suffered a concussion in 2024 but returned without missing a game.
If Purdy can’t play this week, the 49ers will turn to Jones, a player they considered drafting at No. 3 in 2021.
Jones looked solid in the summer, picking up the offense quickly and developing chemistry with the team’s backup pass catchers like tight ends Jake Tonges and Brayden Willis, who will no doubt see action with Kittle injured. Jones was 17 of 23 for 209 yards and two interceptions in the preseason.
Jones, 27, ended up being the 15th pick by the New England Patriots in 2021 after the 49ers opted for Trey Lance with the third pick. Jones’ best season came as a rookie when he completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards. One of his top targets that season was receiver Kendrick Bourne, whom the Patriots had recently signed as a free agent after four seasons in San Francisco. The receiver-needy 49ers are expected to bring back Bourne, who is currently a free agent, on a one-year deal this week.
Last year, Jones started seven games in place of injured Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars went 2-5 in those starts, with Jones completing 65.3 percent of his throws with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The 49ers’ No. 3 quarterback, Adrian Martinez, is on the practice squad. Martinez has never attempted a regular-season NFL pass.
Kittle, whom Shanahan said afterward was the focal point of the game plan against the Seahawks, had four catches on four targets for 25 yards and a touchdown before pulling up after run blocking early in the second quarter.
Backup Luke Farrell, whom the 49ers signed from the Jaguars for three years and $15.75 million for his blocking prowess, had a 4-yard catch on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter. Then Tonges — who did not have an NFL regular-season reception entering Sunday — had three catches for 15 yards on the game-winning drive, including a snag on a pass that he thought Purdy might have been throwing away, which wound up being the game-winning touchdown.
“Those guys stepped up big, man, especially to end it with the game winner,” Shanahan said.
Kittle, who turns 32 next month, has missed eight games over the past four seasons, including two last year with an ankle injury. He was poised for a huge 2025 season, given that he was in great shape, has great timing and rapport with Purdy and that the 49ers are down a couple of receivers, if not more.
Jennings left Sunday’s game and did not attempt to go back in after wincing while catching passes on the sideline. He missed most of training camp and all of the preseason while battling a calf injury and seeking an updated contract. He and the team agreed to add incentives to his deal last week, and he had two catches for 16 yards against Seattle before leaving.
In non-injury-related news, Shanahan said the 49ers will consider bringing kickers in for tryouts and adding one to the practice squad after Jake Moody missed a 27-yard field goal and had a 36-yarder blocked against the Seahawks. Moody later made a 32-yarder to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but he is now 12 of 23 on field goal attempts over his last 10 regular-season games.
The Niners added veteran Greg Joseph this offseason after Moody struggled in the second half of 2024, but the kicking competition ended abruptly in training camp when Joseph was released, as the team needed more roster spots with injuries mounting elsewhere on the roster.
(Photo: Amanda Loman / Getty Images)
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