QB Brock Purdy Press Conference

QB Brock Purdy

Press Conference – October 16, 2026

San Francisco 49ers

What’s your chemistry been like with WR Brandin Cooks, someone who’s a veteran but who’s only been here for a few weeks?

“It’s gotten better I think since he’s been here and stuff. First week or so, him figuring out our playbook and just the details of routes being ran and stuff. I think it’s been pretty smooth, man. He’s gone in and gotten in some games and moments and stuff, and he’s been where he needs to be. That’s the biggest thing for me. Obviously, we’re still going to continue to get better with each other. He’s a vet, and he understands how it goes with where he needs to be and on certain routes talking to me after on what I’m thinking. Then at the end of the day, man, you could just tell the way he carries himself and everything. He’s a true pro. He’s a true vet. He’s been around the block. He understands what he needs to do and communication-wise for me has been really cool. So, learning a lot from him and obviously, our trust is just, it’s getting better and better as we go, so I’m really excited to keep playing with him.”

He was known for his speed when he came out in the draft, which was a while ago. What’s that aspect like? Does that jump out to you?

“Definitely. I forgot what he ran. I don’t know if it was at practice yesterday or something, but, yeah his speed was up there, just like all the other young guys. So, he can definitely still run, and he looks great moving around, so I’m really encouraged by it. I know even watching some film on him last year with Buffalo, seeing him get in and out of cuts, I’m like, ‘This dude looks great still.’ He’s a competitor and everything, and he’s out there every day at practice. Then obviously on Sunday last week, he got right in there and was able to allow our offense to keep going once [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] went down. Made some big plays for us and I expect him to keep making plays.”

Brandin and WR Mike Evans both came out in 2014. What were you doing in 2014?

“Twenty-fourteen, I was a freshman in high school. I’m trying to think. I watched Mike Evans at A&M. Mike does a lot of trivia with all the guys, like when we’re warming up for practice. He’s like, ‘You know who won the Biletnikoff my year in college or whatever?’ And I was like, ‘Wasn’t you?’ And he’s like, ‘Nah.’ And he was salty about it, but he’s like, ‘This guy right here.’ And it was Brandin Cooks. I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ So, it’s two older guys, man. I’ve been watching them forever. It’s been really cool, actually, for me to be able to drop back and throw to them. Asked Brandin Cooks about [former NFL QB] Drew Brees. I don’t know, man. For me, it’s been really, really cool to have some older guys that I grew up watching, and they’re still making plays, balling. So, it’s sweet.”

What’s it like playing with a wide receiver like Evans who’s open even when he’s covered? Do you find yourself locking in on him a little bit longer than you would normally?

“Yeah, for sure. I think just obviously with the catch radius that he has, his body compared to DBs, it’s almost like when a tight end is matched up on a smaller DB or something and you know, ‘Alright, I’ve just got to get the ball in this guy’s vicinity and he’s going to go up and get it.’ So, I definitely feel that with him. As we’ve played a couple games with each other now it’s like, ‘Alright, if we get that one-on-one matchup, man, I’ve got to be able to just give him a chance.’ Even if he is double-covered, I know I talked about this last week a little bit, but even if he is getting double-covered, he still finds a way to get open and still giving him a chance and hanging on him and stuff. So, that’s something that I’ve had to learn too, which has been cool. Obviously you guys saw it last week, multiple one-on-one matchups where he’s going up and getting it. Even if I’m off a little bit on my throws, he’s able to reel it in, so it’s been really nice.”

Were you somewhat surprised at the speed at which you’ve been able to build a rapport with him given the amount of time he missed in training camp?

“Yeah. I think obviously when you’ve got a big-time receiver that comes onto the team, I want to get as many reps as I can, but injuries and things like that happen throughout camp and whatnot. Obviously, with where he’s at in his career, I understand taking care of your body, so that’s been a little bit of a challenge. But, obviously, we’re talking all the time, and that’s just a credit to him. We’re in the locker room in the meetings. Even if he’s not getting that rep, we’re talking about how that route is going to be ran on Sunday. Then in the walk-throughs, we’re making sure that we’re talking through things. It’s been pretty cool, though. We go out there and he’s on it. He’s on the details. He’s a competitor. He’s not just out there hoping things happen and go right. He makes sure that he’s putting in the prep and all the communication with me beforehand so when we go out there on Sundays, you guys have been able to see what we’ve been able to do.”

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was talking yesterday about how the way defensive coordinator Raheem Morris coaches the secondary and the scheme that they run, it unlocked a level of aggressiveness in the secondary. I’m wondering how that translated maybe in training camp for you and if there were ways that having maybe more aggressive coverage has helped transition into the season here for you?

“I thought we had a great camp going up against Raheem’s scheme and everything. Obviously, our guys are our guys, but the way he coached them up this year and has made changes with how he runs his defense, I thought it was great for us during camp. A lot more man-match technique and tighter windows. It felt like everything for me had to be on time and it had to be aggressive. I don’t know if there was as many layered kind of throws, just because of how they run things. Everything for me, it seemed like it was just always tight and the vision zones of dropping back and dropping it in the bucket over hook defenders and stuff like that. You get that every once in a while, but for the most part, man, he made me have to play aggressive. And I appreciated that, actually. I think that’s translated into the season for me to throw with that, I know we’ve talked about this, but that aggressive mindset and everything. So, it’s a big credit to Raheem.”

You’re five passes away from qualifying to have 1,500 passes in your career to be the number one all-time passer rating leader. What does the weight of that rating mean to you? How do you interpret it and is there a different stat that’s more defining to you for how you’re playing?

“To be honest, I don’t really know. Obviously, when you look at your stats and are you efficient with your completions and, I guess, not turning the ball over, throwing touchdowns, things like that. I guess, yeah, your rating of course is going to be good. I guess it’s, yeah, it’s a good thing. But at the same time, I’m not getting done with games going, ‘Alright, was my rating at least 100 and something?’ I could really care less about that. It’s more so, did I do my job well for my teammates? Did I compete and do everything I could to help this team win? I know it sounds cheesy, but that’s the reality. That’s what I’m thinking about and it’s what matters. I guess that maybe reflects, though, playing pretty good quarterback play, so I’m not trying to act like it’s nothing. But, it is cool. If I could answer that again too, I would say obviously it goes more into just me (laughter). I’ve got great coaches, a great team, dudes that help me be who I am and I’m just grateful that I get to be the quarterback for the 49ers so, yeah, it’s cool.”

Maybe the fourth-quarter passer rating might mean more since that’s more crunch time?

“I don’t know. I haven’t looked at that, to be honest, but yeah, it might be something cool (laughter).”