Purdy comes clean after losing Deebo Samuel in offseason

The San Francisco 49ers had a disastrous campaign last season. Injuries plagued them from Week 1 to the finish line and they ended the regular season well under .500 and far from the playoff picture.

A 2024 full of injuries

There was talk, and there still is talk that maybe just maybe, the Super Bowl window is closing in San Fran. After getting to two Super Bowls and four NFC Championships since the 2019 season, the Niners went 6-11 in what ended up being a disastrous season that saw Christian McCaffrey struggle to stay healthy, Brandon Aiyuk go down with a season ending knee injury and the rest of the roster hobble through the year.

Now everything changes. Brock Purdy is no longer Mr. Irrelevant nor is he getting paid like Mr. Irrelevant. The last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has earned his keep in the Bay to the tune of a five-year, $265 million deal extension. With that financial commitment to the QB of the future, sacrifices were going to have to be made, and one of those sacrifices was Deebo Samuel.

Samuel was sent to Washington for a 2025 fifth round draft pick before Purdy signed his deal, but the Niners front offices were already thinking of cutting some costs so they could renew Purdy’s deal. Unfortunately for the soon to be fourth year QB, Samuel was one of his best buds on the team. “It sucks, dude. He’s my boy,” Purdy told 49ers Web Zone. “I love Deebo. Day one, he’s always had my back and believed in me when I got in. I didn’t really know how the guys were going to take it when I did get thrown in. Jimmy went down; I was the last quarterback, and Deebo was nothing but just great to me, dude, building me up, and just giving me confidence.”

Purdy lost his “brother”

Deebo went to the Pro Bowl in 2021 when he caught a career high 77 passes for 1,405 yards and 6 TDs. Purdy came in the next year, and his number dipped a bit, failing to reach the 900 yard mark in any of the three seasons with Purdy as QB, but Purdy says he was always there for him despite not always being the No. 1 target.

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“In games, we fed off each other’s energy and building each other up,” the QB said. “It was awesome, and over the last couple of years, same thing. So, we created just a great relationship. He’s my brother.”

Samuel is now on a Commanders team that is on the up, with reigning Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels as his QB, and a refreshed, renewed organization under new leadership and head coach Dan Quinn. Purdy and the Niners, will try and rebound after a forgettable season, but they will have to do so with no Deebo. They still have Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk who will be coming off injury, but things won’t be the same for Purdy without his “brother” in the huddle.