San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo gave a positive update on his knee injury Monday, noting he did not tear his ACL as some had speculated:

The rookie was carted off the field in the first quarter in the team's Week 18 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The team announced quickly that Guerendo had been ruled out with knee and ankle injuries.

On just the fourth play of the game for the 49ers, Guerendo was tackled and his body bent into an awkward position as he immediately reached for his left knee/leg. He was on the ground for several minutes before being assisted off the field on a cart.

The rookie, a fourth-round pick in last year's draft, recorded five yards on two carries before exiting the game. He has 415 yards on the season from 82 carries, with four touchdowns over 15 games, starting in two.

Guerendo had been relied upon by the 49ers due to injuries plaguing the running back room, including Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason. With Guerendo's exit, Patrick Taylor Jr. and Israel Abanikanda are expected to step up for San Francisco for the remainder of the game.

The 49ers had already been eliminated from playoff contention and ended the year with a 6-11 record.

After a mostly healthy 2024, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's season has come to an early end.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Wednesday that Purdy will miss the team's season finale due to an elbow injury and Joshua Dobbs will start against the Arizona Cardinals.

Purdy missed one game in November after suffering a right shoulder injury against the Seattle Seahawks. He dealt with another injury late in the season, exiting the 49ers' Week 17 matchup against the Detroit Lions due to an elbow injury.

Luckily for Purdy, he avoided a long-term injury but was forced to miss San Francisco's season-finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

"Most likely gonna miss this week, but no long-term issues," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the injury. "UCL looks fine."

Purdy has a history of elbow injuries, as he was forced to undergo surgery after tearing his UCL in the 2022 NFC Championship game.

Purdy, who had a tremendous second season in the NFL in 2023, saw his numbers dip some this year. He threw for 3,864 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as the 49ers struggled with a 6-10 record going into Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Dobbs will be making his first start of the season after coming on in relief of Purdy late in Monday's loss to the Lions. He finished 3-of-4 for 35 yards and scored on a seven-yard touchdown run.

The 29-year-old Dobbs split time between the Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings last season. He went 3-9 in 12 starts between the two teams, throwing for 2,464 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's season is likely over, but he was able to avoid a serious injury in Monday's loss to the Detroit Lions.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday that Purdy is unlikely to play in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals after being diagnosed with a right elbow bruise and nerve inflammation.

Purdy has been one of several 49ers players who has dealt with injuries throughout the 2024 season. He missed a Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers due to a shoulder injury suffered the previous week against the Seattle Seahawks.

During the 49ers' 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 17, Purdy left in the fourth quarter due to a right elbow injury after being sacked by Brian Branch. He described the injury by saying his elbow was "on fire," but added initial testing indicated his UCL was okay.

The elbow is the same on that Purdy had surgically repaired in March 2022 after he was knocked out of the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Purdy returned at full strength for the 2023 season, turning in an outstanding year to help the 49ers reach the Super Bowl.

Almost nothing has gone right for the Niners since their 22-19 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58. Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey have played a combined total of 21 games this season.

The key for Purdy, who is eligible for a contract extension in the offseason, now will be ensuring he is healthy going into 2025. Josh Dobbs replaced Purdy at quarterback against the Lions. He could be in line to get the start for the regular-season finale against the Cardinals on Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers' 2024 collapse from a Super Bowl contender to a non-playoff team won't lead to major front office turnover this offseason, according to team owner Jed York.

When asked if head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would return in 2025, York told Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard that "they're not going anywhere."

When pressed, York added to Kawakami: "You can write that, for sure. They're not going anywhere."

Shanahan said in response to York's comments, via David Bonilla of 49ersWebZone: "I've got a good relationship with Jed, and we speak almost every day, so hearing stuff in the media doesn't really change much for me. It's more what I have between him and myself."

York's comments came before the 49ers kicked off against the Detroit Lions on Monday afternoon, according to Kawakami. The Niners' offense went on to rack up 475 yards while Brock Purdy struggled with turnovers in the 40-34 Week 17 loss.

The speculation surrounding Shanahan's potential departure after this season began with NBC Sports' Mike Florio floating the Chicago Bears as a potential fit for Shanahan in a Dec. 3 appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.

Florio pointed out that a potential trade would give both the Bears and Shanahan a "fresh start."

Both Lynch and Shanahan weighed in on the report. Lynch called the discussion "rather comical." Shanahan then said he didn't "want to be any place in the world more than here," per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The speculation has since continued, driven by the theoretical draft haul the 49ers could receive in return for Shanahan's contract. After all, the New Orleans Saints received a first-round pick by trading Sean Payton to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2023 season.

It sounds like York, who signed both Lynch and Shanahan to multi-year extensions ahead of the 2023 season, isn't buying into the chatter.

The Niners are missing multiple key players to injury. Only two Week 1 offensive line starters available for the Week 17 loss, which Purdy left early with an injury that could sideline him for the regular season finale. York could be expecting better outcomes with a hopefully healthy roster next season.

Rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall meanwhile recorded a career-high 141 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches in the loss, a positive sign regarding Lynch's decision to draft him in the first round last spring.

Shanahan has coached the 49ers since 2017 and has since led the team to two Super Bowl appearances. Lynch has held his position since 2023. It looks like both are on track to return as San Francisco looks to climb back into the playoff picture next winter.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy reportedly suffered a nerve issue in his right elbow late in Monday's 40-34 loss against the Detroit Lions and will undergo further testing on Tuesday, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

He wouldn't commit to Purdy playing in Week 18's regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, leaving open the possibility that Purdy's season is over.

Purdy provided his own update after the game:

Since taking over as San Francisco's starter in the 2022 season, Purdy has largely stayed healthy. He was knocked out of the NFC Championship Game that season with a torn UCL but returned for the start of the 2023 season, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 16 games, ultimately guiding the Niners to the Super Bowl (he was rested in Week 18 with San Francisco assured the top overall seed).

He's largely been healthy this season as well, though he missed Week 12's 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers with soreness in his right shoulder.

Injuries and underachieving have been the prevailing storylines for San Francisco this year, with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year and players like Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel dealing with injuries throughout the campaign.

In the process, the Niners have gone just 6-10 on the season, a far cry from the team that went 12-5 last season and lost in the Super Bowl.

Josh Dobbs relieved Purdy on San Francisco's final drive of the game Monday night and seemingly would be in line to start next week as well, though Kyle Allen would also be a possibility.

Having restructured his contract before the 2024 NFL season kicked off, the San Francisco 49ers have a straightforward path to part ways with wide receiver Deebo Samuel if they need to create some much-needed salary cap space.

Cutting or trading the 2021 All-Pro is probably out of the question because it would saddle the Niners with $31.6 million in dead money and yield no cost savings, per Over the Cap. Designating him as a post-June 1 cut or trading him after that date, however, would lower the dead money hit to $10.7 million with $5.2 million cap space freed up.

The downside of the latter approach is that $20.8 million in dead money would be shifted onto the 2026 payroll. That might be another problem for a different day given how tight San Francisco's finances project to be.

Sure, having $65.9 million in projected space sounds nice, but cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga are among those hitting free agency. Should general manager John Lynch prefer instead to retool a defense that has struggled to keep teams out of the end zone, that would be a costly endeavor in its own right.

Lynch might also want to use the maneuverability he has now to tie down quarterback Brock Purdy and/or tight end George Kittle, who are both free agents in 2026. Especially with Purdy, who's arguably the biggest bargain in the league, spreading his extension over as many years as possible will lessen the annual burden.

Samuel is coming off a strong Week 16 performance, albeit in a losing effort, against the Miami Dolphins as he caught seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Before that, his usage was a source of frustration, and his angst was evident for those following the team.

Samuel's $15.8 million cap hit isn't too onerous when the top wideouts are earning north of $30 million per year on average. In addition, his continued presence would provide some stability with Brandon Aiyuk working his way back from a torn ACL and MCL.

But it won't be a complete shock if San Francisco decides this offseason is a good time to make a clean break.

The end of Brock Purdy's third NFL season is nearing and the final year of his rookie contract with the San Francisco 49ers is looming.

Per ESPN's Nick Wagoner, both Purdy and the 49ers are "aiming to work out a lucrative long-term deal this offseason." According to Wagoner, "Purdy's situation is complicated."

Purdy has had a decent year, throwing for 3,487 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 65.9 quarterback rating. He's also rushed for 311 yards and added four scores on the ground.

Those numbers aren't nearly as good as his 2023 stats, however. Last year, he had 4,280 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with an NFL-best 73.4 quarterback rating. Wagoner also noted Purdy's poor performance in inclement weather as he's gone 2-3 with a 49.7 QBR and a 57.4 completion rate in his five starts in rain or snow.

In defense of Purdy's numbers dropping in 2024, he's been without Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers leading receiver in 2023, for most of the season. Aiyuk, who had 1,342 yards last year, played just seven games before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.

Furthermore, star running back Christian McCaffrey played just four games because of a handful of injuries.

It's hard to fully evaluate Purdy's play when considering the injuries to some of his top weapons, but San Francisco might have to do so this offseason.

On his current contract, a four-year, $3.737 million deal, Purdy is one of the best values in the league. The 49ers will soon have to decide whether they want to pay him like the quarterback that led them to the Super Bowl or the one that had an average year without his top targets.

Despite speculation the San Francisco 49ers could pursue Kirk Cousins if the Atlanta Falcons eventually released the veteran after benching him for Michael Penix Jr., they are reportedly "committed" to their current quarterback.

"They are committed to making Brock Purdy work in San Francisco," Dianna Russini of The Athletic said Tuesday on the Scoop City podcast (8:45 mark). "Could things change? Of course."

Purdy is under contract through the 2025 season and is in line for a significant raise when he signs his next deal. After all, he is set to make $1.1 million in base salary in 2025, which is the final year of his rookie contract.

Still, this has been a forgettable season for Purdy and the 49ers, who are just 6-9 and eliminated from playoff contention. Injuries are partially to blame for the overall team struggles, and the signal-caller has completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,487 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

That is a dropoff from his Pro Bowl campaign in 2023 when he completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

San Francisco's struggles were magnified during a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 12, and one NFL executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic, "The new contract for Purdy [in the offseason] was a slam dunk for me until Thursday night. What I saw was a guy who was so limited physically that, I'm not saying I don't want him, it's just the first time I've said, 'Hmmm, he can't make those throws.'"

Yet Purdy still led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl in the last two seasons and is just 24 years old.

Russini's report painted a picture of a team that still believes in him as a franchise quarterback and is ready to make a commitment to keep him in place.

Trent Williams' season has come to an end.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the star left tackle was ruled out of the team's final two regular-season contests, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Williams has already missed the 49ers' past five games due to an ankle injury that he suffered during a 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11.

San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention after the Washington Commanders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by the final score of 36-33 on Sunday.

The latest announcement surrounding Williams' availability doesn't come as a large surprise, as Shanahan previously hinted that the veteran may be out for the rest of the year on Wednesday.

"I mean if he gets back to healthy we'd play him," Shanahan said, via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "But it's not like that right now. So it's getting closer to being that way."

With the 49ers completely out of the NFC playoff picture, it makes sense that the team isn't willing to risk the long-term health of the 36-year-old by attempting to send him out onto the field while he's still recovering.

Williams has already established himself as one of best offensive lineman in the league, earning first-team All-Pro honors in each of the past three years to go along with 11 career Pro Bowl selections.

He was continuing to perform at an elite level in 2024, receiving an impressive 85.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Williams committed five penalties and allowed just one sack in 381 pass-blocking snaps.

His status for the 2025 season doesn't appear to be in jeopardy, as he agreed to a reworked three-year contract worth $82.66 million to stay in San Francisco on Sept. 3.

As the 49ers attempt to close out a disappointing 6-9 season after making a Super Bowl appearance during their 2023 campaign, Jaylon Moore should continue to serve as Williams' replacement.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was the latest signal-caller to present his offensive lineman with gifts for the holidays.

In a video posted by the 49ers on X, Purdy presented his teammates with 10 new Toyota trucks.

It's an expensive gift from Purdy, as the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft is still on a rookie contract. He'll receive a base salary of $985,000 for his 2024 campaign, per Spotrac.

After Purdy revealed that he lived with 49ers offensive lineman Nick Zakelj as a roommate and drove a Toyota Sequoia during his rise to stardom in 2023, he agreed to a deal to become one of the car company's national partners on Feb. 2.

The 24-year-old hasn't been able to build off his Pro Bowl campaign that ended with a Super Bowl appearance last season, but he's still shown that he can be efficient when given a clean pocket. In 13 starts this year, Purdy is completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,174 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with nine interceptions.

He's also been sacked 26 times.

The 49ers are sitting outside the NFC playoff picture with a record of 6-8 and are close to missing the postseason for the first time since 2020.

While the year hasn't gone according to plan for San Francisco, Purdy still rewarded his offensive lineman for keeping him upright during the holiday season.