GettyBrock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey celebrate a touchdown in Week 15.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy appreciates his new golf clubs for Christmas from running back Christian McCaffrey but can’t fully return the favor.
“I did get a new set of clubs. I needed some. Yeah, shout out Christian,” Purdy told reporters on Friday. “Financially I wouldn’t be able to cover that right now [laughter], but … shout out to him. Everyone loved it, so, yeah. Thank you, Christian.”
Purdy has a four-year, $3.73 million contract with the 49ers from his selection as the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He will make $870,000 this season, which pales in comparison to the league’s elite players.
San Francisco, nor the rest of the NFL, anticipated Purdy’s ascendance ahead of time. Purdy went from Mr. Irrelevant to an MVP candidate in less than two years.
He led the 49ers to an 11-3 start as he completed 69.8% of his passes for 3,795 yards and 29 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. Purdy’s success has come in part due to McCaffrey, also a frontrunner for MVP.
“Sort of like what I said before, he does it all,” Purdy said about McCaffrey’s MVP case. “I think he’s the reason why our pass game and our play-action pass and all that kind of stuff opened up because he sort of sets the standard with the run game and then when we do pass the ball, he’s there in our play.”
“He catches the ball, he makes guys miss, he can go up against safeties and linebackers and make them miss and stuff in the pass game. And then he scores touchdowns. His stats are crazy. So, he’s definitely a valued player and I think the most valued player,” Purdy concluded.
McCaffrey has 1,292 yards and 13 touchdowns on 244 carries plus 57 catches for 509 yards and seven touchdowns.
Brock Purdy: ‘We Have to Do Our Job’
Purdy and company will play on a second major holiday this season in Week 16, Christmas Day, which he downplayed as a balance between work and family.
“For us, it’s Christmas time and stuff for our family and friends, which is great,” Purdy said. “But at the same time, man, we all here understand we have to do our job and play and we have to do what it takes in terms of our preparation, our studying.”
“Nothing can change our routine. We’ve been in games like this before, we’ve had to play on Thanksgiving, so those are all things that our family and friends understand and we’ve got to do what it takes to win,” Purdy added. “But, at the same time being able to celebrate Christmas and stuff too is huge.”
Niners Face a Bigger Challenge Than Thanksgiving Day Win
The 49ers took care of business on Thanksgiving Day in Week 12 with a 31-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Purdy completed 70% of his passes and threw for 209 yards and touchdown versus a pick in that win.
San Francisco faces a tougher challenge on Christmas Day in the Baltimore Ravens (11-3). The Ravens haven’t lost in more than a month and never by more than one score.
“So yeah, going to be a great challenge for us,” Purdy said.
Matthew Davis covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis
