San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak spoke with reporters on Thursday and was asked about quarterback Brock Purdy. No, it wasn't about the status of Purdy's looming contract extension, which is expected to become the most lucrative in franchise history. Instead, it was regarding his development heading into his fourth NFL season.
"Yeah, Brock's been great," Kubiak said. "Brock has almost three full seasons, like two-and-a-half full seasons of tape now, where he can really look at his cut-ups and look at his games over that time period, and just kind of study himself, and see where he has gotten better, where he needs to continue to get better."
That self-assessment process is critical for Purdy, who posted solid numbers in 2024 but didn't quite reach the bar he set during his breakout 2023 season, when he set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. Continued growth is crucial to his and the team's future success.
"He's a great student of himself," Kubiak added. "He wants to study himself. He wants to see where he can improve. He wants to be told the truth about what we think about how he can improve. And so, he's had a great offseason so far. It's kind of what we expect from Brock."
The addition of Mac Jones
Kubiak also addressed the signing of quarterback Mac Jones, who joined the 49ers in free agency. San Francisco had done extensive scouting on Jones ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft and welcomed the opportunity to add him to the roster to strengthen the depth behind Purdy.
"Going back to college, we obviously studied Mac coming out, and we thought very highly of him, and his skill set as a thrower, and the things he did in college," Kubiak shared. "And then, obviously, as a rookie, what he did in the NFL was very impressive. Mac's a really good thrower. He stands in the pocket, he's a strong guy, and he's really smart.
"And so, he's got a lot of traits that we like for a starting quarterback, and his career has kind of gone up and down a little bit the past couple years, but we saw the same things in Jacksonville that we loved about him as a college prospect, and that really excites us."
Jones completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,672 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions over 10 appearances, including seven starts, during his lone season with the Jaguars last year. Early signs suggest he's adjusting well to the transition to his third NFL team.
"He's doing a great job, and I think Mac's capable of being a starter in this league," Kubiak said. "And so, he's going to help us if he needs to."