49ers' Purdy: 'I've gotten better' with full offseason as QB1

Brock Purdy was an MVP candidate last season, but the San Francisco 49ers quarterback feels even better this year after his first full offseason of preparation as the team's starter.

Purdy - who's entering Year 3 - was buried on the 49ers' quarterback depth chart as a seventh-round rookie in 2022. He finished that season as the team's QB1 but suffered an elbow injury in the NFC title game that kept him sidelined during the 2023 offseason.

"Here, in OTAs, getting with (head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) and going over all the games that we played in (last year), every play, and going over situational football and stuff, and taking that and actually going out on the field and running things and repping things, and throwing to receivers," Purdy said Monday at the 49ers 2024 State of the Franchise event.

"Last year, I didn't have that. So now that I'm able to attack those kinds of things, I feel like I've gotten better."

Purdy was football's most efficient quarterback in 2023: He led the league in yards per pass attempt and passer rating, among other categories. The 24-year-old also threw for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns (the fourth-most in the NFL) en route to helping San Francisco reach Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished fourth in the MVP race.

The 49ers fell short against the Chiefs in February, and Purdy said the loss affected how he attacked this offseason.

"We got all the way to the end. We're right there and weren't able to finish it. So for me, I had that taste in my mouth," he added.

San Francisco has played in three consecutive NFC title games, including two with Purdy under center.