Friday afternoon came with a surprise guest for Mark Willard’s 50th birthday. The legendary Steve Young hopped on the line to wish Willard a happy birthday, and eventually waded into the 49ers analysis waters.

Brock Purdy’s meteoric rise from the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to an unexpected starter for the San Francisco 49ers has been one of the most intriguing stories in the NFL. However, as Purdy’s contract negotiation looms,

What San Francisco can’t afford to do is ignore the position given what happened at the end of the 2024 season when Purdy took a helmet to the elbow in Week 17 and had to miss the season finale. After nearly two full seasons of healthy QB play it became easy to forget the injury-driven tumult that under center that preceded Purdy.