SANTA CLARA – Hundreds of kids swarmed Brock Purdy as he dashed out of the Levi’s Stadium tunnel and onto the 49ers’ sun-splashed field for his first-ever youth football camp.
Not a bad way to spend his final Sunday before the 49ers’ offseason program, which begins Monday.
“This community, they’ve gotten behind my back and supported me since I jumped in the role, and it’s real love that you can feel,” Purdy said. “I just want to give back, give them my time, and show them that I’m human, too. I’m not just a guy they see on TV, but a guy who is just like them.”
About 650 kids spent a few hours playing catch, doing drills, and hollering their devotion to the 49ers’ third-year quarterback. Their parents watched from the stands, five months before the 49ers return in full to defend their NFC crown and seek Super Bowl redemption.
As Purdy further ingratiates himself with the Bay Area community, that effort should not be overlooked or minimized. It is a connection the franchise has long sought from the quarterback position, all due respect to the other players who’ve made positive impacts over the years.
#49ers Brock Purdy says of the 650 kids who came to his first camp at Levi’s Stadium (hosted by @octane_football):
“This community, they’ve gotten behind my back and supported me since I jumped in the role, and it’s a real love that you can feel.” pic.twitter.com/mSzCxuk9GN
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 14, 2024
The last 49ers’ quarterback to host a youth camp was Colin Kaepernick, doing so a decade ago near his hometown in Modesto.
“Being able to give back to some kids, give them some hope and hopefully some inspiration just by being around them, for me as a kid, I know that was huge,” Purdy added. “Just to get around these kids, hopefully that will stick with them for a while.”
Just two years ago, Purdy was preparing for an NFL Draft in which he’d be the 262nd and final player selected. Then came his late-season emergence as a rookie, replacing injured predecessors Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.
At this time last year, his throwing elbow was in a brace after ligament repair, and he eventually recovered so strongly, that he passed for a franchise-record 4,280 yards before sitting out the regular-season finale. That set up for his NFC playoff comeback wins over Green Bay and Detroit before losing the Super Bowl in overtime to reigning champion Kansas City.
That defeat still stings, though Purdy has managed to enjoy his offseason by getting married last month in Iowa and honeymooning in Turks and Caicos.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy works with participants in his youth football camp on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Donning a gold wedding ring and stylish sunglasses, Purdy took a break during Sunday’s camp – which was put on by Octane Football, rather than the 49ers – and answered the following questions in an exclusive interview with this newspaper:
1. What do you hope to get out of the offseason program that opens Monday?
Purdy: “Just taking the next step with the offense, the playbook, how Kyle (Shanahan) sees things, how (Brian) Griese sees things. I feel it’s a language, in a sense, so how can I get even more familiar with it?
“Physically, I think about my mobility in general. Obviously with my arm, and then translating that to my hips and running and becoming a better athlete. There’s another level to that. You look at guys when they enter the NFL, and they evolve as their career goes on. For me, it’s taking that serious.”
2. How do you view the team and specifically an offense that returns every starter?
Purdy: “I’m excited. Obviously it’s still stinging about how we ended the year. We were right there. There’s going to be a lot of guys that are hungry and have that chip on their shoulder, again. For us, we’re always going to think we can get it to another level. I know guys like Christian (McCaffrey), George (Kittle), and Deebo (Samuel) are all thinking like that. The fact we’ve all played together for a 1 1/2 , that gives us a lot of confidence.”
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy greets participants in his youth football camp on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
3. Have you spoken with Brandon Aiyuk (who’s poised to land a contract extension, and whose agent disputed a report Sunday that Aiyuk has requested a trade)?
Purdy: “We’ve talked. I just told him I’ll always have his back and support him in whatever he does. I want the best for him. It’s a business thing, so for me to say anything about that, that’s out of my pay grade. He and I talk through things and I hear him out. At the end of the day, what he’s done for me, giving me an opportunity to come in and throw him the ball, I’ll always be thankful for that.”
4. Have you combed through film of the Super Bowl (a 25-22 overtime loss)?
Purdy: “Yeah, a couple of times. It still just stinks, because there were plays out there that could have been made. I feel there were a couple plays, where I’m like, ‘Dude, that could have been the difference.’ But that’s across the board. It’s four quarters of every play matters.
“But watching it gives me some hope, because we have a lot of guys coming back. It’s like, alright, we were there, in the moment, so we can learn from it and run with that next year.”
5. How much better is it to go into this offseason program compared to last year when your surgically repaired arm was in a brace?
Purdy: “Actually being able to throw to these guys, once we get back together, physically being in a better spot than I was last offseason, it’s huge. I’m excited for that.”
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy works with participants in his youth football camp on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
6. Have you kept in touch much with teammates the past two months?
Purdy: “Guys need time away from each other, just to go breathe and train and do their own thing. We spend so much time together anyways. But a text here and there, we’ve done that, but it’s not like, ‘Hey, let’s get together and party.’ ”
#49ers Brock Purdy is hosting a youth football camp today at Levi’s Stadium with @octane_football
Been a decade since a 49ers QB has hosted a youth camp (Kaepernick did in Modesto)
Brock really ingratiating himself with Bay Area community, just as the Niners have yearned pic.twitter.com/gUeQuVbrpO
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 14, 2024
7. Will you organize a throwing session before training camp starts in late July?
Purdy: “Yeah I’m sure we’ll get something together. There hasn’t been something exactly put in place yet. We’ll see how OTAs go and where everyone is at with their bodies. In my mind, we definitely need to do that.”
8. What did you think of 49ers owner Jed York recently foreshadowing a contract extension for you next year?
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Purdy: “That’s great, but for me, I still have to put in the work. I have to win games for this organization and I have to get better, starting here in OTAs. Everything will fall into place that it needs to, and that’s how I’m looking at it. But I appreciate his kind words.”
9. You’re emerging with a lot of commercials and endorsements – John Deere, Pioneer Seed, Recover sports drink, Toyota – so have you bought a house yet?
Purdy: “I’ve got to wait. It’s all good. We’re content with renting right now.”
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy greets participants in his youth football camp on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
10. Did you expect this many kids to turn out for you first camp? (Note: Purdy will host another camp on June 22, in Ames, Iowa, where he played collegiately at Iowa State)
Purdy: “Initially, when the thought of having a camp, no. But when I’m driving in today and seeing the line of people, I’m like, wow, this is crazy. Not for the fame and the hype. But just for these kids and their support, it shows you that the love is real. And I want to give back to them however I can.”