168megagacor.com: Iowa St head coach Matt Campbell lauds 49ers rookie QB Brock Purdy The kid is special

Garoppolo, the 31-year-old pending free agent with 57 career starts and a 40-17 record, is considered likely to be out for the rest season.

Shanahan said this week that Garoppolo has a “big recovery” ahead, but less than originally anticipated because he doesn’t need foot surgery and did not suffer ligament damage. Shanahan said Garoppolo has a “way outside chance” of being back late in the playoffs, but if Purdy took them to the Super Bowl and Garoppolo hadn’t played at all, is it realistic Garoppolo would then play? Unlikely.

The 49ers also said Garoppolo did not suffer a dreaded Lisfranc injury, though a source said Garoppolo did break the same bone that is involved in a Lisfranc injury — but no ligament damage. One estimate of his recovery time to be fully ready to play football — after staying off his foot completely for at least six weeks — is three months. That would mean Garoppolo would be fully cleared with no restrictions just prior to the start of free agency. Unlike this past offseason, when shoulder rehab affected his free-agent choices, there would be no issues this time.

With Trey Lance expected to return from his ankle injury with plenty of time for the 2023 season, the 49ers have options. Sources said last week the team and Garoppolo were both open to him returning next year, and that’s still on the table. Time will tell if Purdy’s play alters things.

Tom Brady, who arrives back home to play the 49ers, is also a pending free agent. While there will no doubt be plenty of rumors, all options currently exist for Brady — returning to Tampa, retiring (which was his plan to start this tumultuous season), or being a free agent and landing somewhere else.

But for now, it’s Purdy, who stands just 6-foot-1 and is ISU’s all-time leader in wins. Campbell describes him more as a person than a player, lauding his makeup and competitiveness. He is grounded and secure and has always been on a mission.

“When the 49ers scout came in during the season, he said, ‘Man, this Brock Purdy had this incredible camp,'” Campbell recounted. “And I said, ‘I’m gonna tell you. Something is going to happen and this guy is going to make you really proud that you guys drafted him.’ He’s an elite competitor and he’s the same guy every day. So, I really wasn’t shocked that that happened. He’s got some of those really special intangibles that make really special quarterbacks.”

As 49ers teammates have recounted this week, Purdy holds everyone accountable regardless of who they are. It was that way in college, too. Campbell says Purdy’s the most competitive human he’s ever come across and he conducts himself that way, as well. He helped build ISU to heights they had never reached, doing it without many four- or five-star recruits and showcasing uncanny consistency and accuracy.

It all became clear to Campbell during Purdy’s first meaningful playing time in college.

They were playing a ranked Oklahoma State team that was senior-laden, while Iowa State’s squad had a quarterback hurt and Purdy not yet having played. Plus, they didn’t have injured star running back David Montgomery either, so it was all on the QB.

“Our senior QB who got hurt early in the season came up to me and said, ‘Coach I think you got to play the freshman,'” Campbell said. “If I play this freshman we’re gonna have to be all in. But we put Brock in and he led back-to-back incredible drives, and we end up beating Oklahoma State (48-42) on the road. On the second TD he scores in the game, he pulls the ball, fakes a bubble screen and runs like 25 yards for a touchdown, and I remember saying on the headset, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen, this kid’s going to win a ton of football games here.’ The kid is special.”