George Kittle Believes Brock Purdy’s Best is Ahead of him

Talk about having your quarterback's back.

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) with quarterback Brock Purdy (13) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A new lens will be needed to assess Brock Purdy in 2025.

Now that he has a contract extension and is getting paid the big bucks, there isn’t a whole lot of room for him to play lowly like he did in 2024.

There may be instances where he can get away with it this season. The 49ers still have plenty of talent on their offense to mitigate some bad stretches from him.

However, he cannot let that be a habit. He needs 2024 to be the worst season of his career moving forward. That’s what his teammate and 49ers star George Kittle believes.

Kittle appeared as a guest on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, where he indicated that Purdy is only going to get better and better, and that his best ball is still ahead of him.

"We all still have something to prove every single day," Kittle said (h/t NFL.com’s Kevin Patra) "So, for the people that like saying that, you know, 'He's got something to prove,' good for them. I think Brock is just gonna continue to elevate his game and continue to play at a high level. That's all we really care about. I want to be around guys that strive to be better every single day. 

“I don't like being around people who are content because complacency is not a good thing in a locker room. So, if our players are continually practicing their asses off, continually getting better every single day, and they have the desire to get better every day, I'm in a great room, I'm in a great building. So, I'm just happy to be around guys that are like that, and Brock is definitely one of those guys."

It’s only natural for Kittle to support Purdy publicly. That’s what a leader should do. 

And even if he is biased, there’s a semblance of truth to what he said about Purdy at the very least. His best ball is likely still ahead of him.

What he endured in 2024 was unbecoming of him. Given the circumstance, he will be given a mulligan, but it cannot be replicated in 2025 and beyond. Not even close. 

Now that he’s being paid franchise quarterback money, everything changes. The 49ers better hope that Kittle is right, or they will be in an extremely awkward position