Brock Purdy injury update: Kyle Shanahan reveals diagnosis, outlook for Week 18 vs. Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers (6-10) head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that quarterback Brock Purdy, who left in the fourth quarter of the 40-34 Monday Night Football defeat to the Detroit Lions (14-2), suffered a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation.

Purdy is unlikely to play in this Sunday’s season finale against the Arizona Cardinals (7-9), per Clayton Holloway of NFL Network. Josh Dobbs replaced Purdy under center to finish the game and will start in Arizona if Purdy can’t go.

Purdy, 25, took a sack late against Detroit and immediately felt something familiar.

“I got hit on the backside and basically just my arm was on fire kind of thing,” Purdy said after the game, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and I couldn’t at that point.”

Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow in January 2023 during the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fortunately for Purdy, it appears he is in the clear when it comes to the ligament in his right elbow.

“I know everyone when they hear about Brock’s elbow and stuff, just like me, you think of the elbow injury from a couple of years ago,” Shanahan said. “But just talking to the doctors, he just got hit in the right spot. When you get hit there, your nerves go and you can’t feel much, but hopefully it will be all right.”

Will new injury affect Brock Purdy contract extension talks?

Purdy completed 27-of-35 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns but tossed two costly interceptions to Lions safety Kerby Joseph. If that’s it for Purdy in 2024, he’ll finish his second full-time season throwing for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 65.9% passing. Purdy failed to replicate his standout 2023 campaign in which he led the league in passer rating and QBR, finishing fourth in MVP voting.

The former “Mr. Irrelevant” is eligible for an extension on Jan. 6, and all eyes are on San Francisco and whether or not they believe Purdy is the quarterback of the future. Purdy led San Francisco to a Super Bowl last season, but the team has struggled as a whole in 2024 as injuries piled up. He is currently slated to make $1.1 million in base salary in 2025, the final year of his rookie contract.

Purdy could very well command a deal that pays him $50 million or more annually, in line with other top quarterbacks.

“The nice thing about contracts is when you play at a high level, you can compare yourself to other people in the league,” tight end George Kittle recently said. “And when other guys are getting paid $50 [million to] $60 million and you’re a better quarterback than they are, [it’s] hard not to get that same amount of money.

“The Niners are going to figure something out to be as team-friendly as you possibly can but still reward him for the things that he has done and the things that he’s going to continue to do for this organization.”