Two years after his 2022 season ended with a serious elbow injury, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may have played his last game of 2024 on Sunday, exiting a Week 17 loss to the Detroit Lions in the closing minutes due to a separate elbow issue suffered on a hard hit from safety Brian Branch.
Purdy, who tried throwing on the sidelines after leaving the field, admitted after the game he felt like his right elbow was "on fire." Niner coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the injury was nerve-related, while NFL Media reports initial tests indicated the issue was not related to the UCL tear suffered by Purdy at the close of 2022; that injury required nearly a full offseason of rehabilitation.
Regardless, Purdy may be unlikely to suit up for the 49ers' regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, considering San Francisco has already been eliminated from playoff contention. That would leave veteran Joshua Dobbs in line to start Week 18.
Purdy's health could be a factor in his immediate future with the 49ers, too. The former seventh-round pick took the NFL by storm as an unlikely rookie standout, then posted MVP-caliber numbers as a 2023 Pro Bowler, but his crunch-time production dipped this year, and he's set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2025.
