Brock Purdy on Deebo Samuel departure: It sucks, we had an awesome relationship
Samuel moved on to the Commanders in a trade earlier this offseason, which marked a major change to the look of the offense around Purdy as Samuel has been a major part of the team's approach over the last three seasons. During an appearance on Bussin' With the Boys, Purdy noted how Samuel embraced him when he took over at quarterback for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022 and how he'll miss that relationship during games.
'It sucks, dude. He's my boy,' Purdy said, via 49ersWebzone.com. 'I love Deebo. Day 1, he's always had my back and believed in me when I got in. I didn't really know how the guys were going to take it when I did get thrown in. Jimmy went down, I was the last quarterback, and Deebo was nothing but just great to me, dude, building me up, and just giving me confidence. In games, we fed off each other's energy and building each other up. It was awesome, and over the last couple of years, same thing. So, we created just a great relationship. He's my brother.'
The 49ers are also set to be without Brandon Aiyuk at the start of the 2025 season, so Purdy will have to build connections with other wideouts and start taking younger teammates under his wing in a similar way that Samuel did in order to keep things rolling for the Niners.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
2025 Washington Commanders Fantasy Preview: Jayden Daniels can turn it up a notch with revamped roster
After an impressive rookie season, Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels comes in at No. 5 in Chris Simms' 2025 QB rankings, falling in the "Surgicality" tier with his great decision-making and ability to limit mistakes. No NFL team had a better turn around from 2023 to 2024 than the Washington Commanders. Going from a 4-13 record and having the number two overall draft pick (Jayden Daniels), to 12-5 and a trip all the way to the NFC Championship game is an elite jump. Look no further than the coach-quarterback duo of Dan Quinn and rising year-two quarterback Daniels. The Commanders found several ways to win nine (including playoffs) one score games which is something you have to do in the NFL to separate yourself from teams. Despite going deep into the playoffs, the Commanders rightfully attacked the offseason to improve in areas where they lacked. Their main focus was building more around their star quarterback by adding players like Laremy Tunsil, Deebo Samuel and Josh Conerly on the offensive side of the ball. To improve on their 18th ranked scoring defense, they added depth on the defensive line and defensive backfield with players like Von Miller and Will Harris. The Commanders should be in the mix again. 2024 Washington Commanders Stats (Rank) Points per game: 28.5 (5th) Total yards per game: 369.6 (7th) Plays per game: 64.8 (5th) Dropbacks per game: 41.2 (11th) Dropback EPA per play: 0.21 (4th) Rush attempts per game: 30.9 (5th) Rush EPA per play: 0.03 (4th) Coaching Staff Over the course of his career, Dan Quinn has proven to be the ultimate players' coach who has a knack of getting the best out of his players. He's recently done so in Atlanta, Dallas (as a defensive coordinator) and now in Washington as the Commanders are coming off a season in which they shocked the world finishing in the NFC title game. How will the encore go? Well, he and the Commanders' have done everything in their power this offseason to make sure they stay afloat in a competitive NFC East. One thing's for certain, it starts with No. 5 at quarterback and he hit the jackpot there. Speaking of 'No. 5', the guy who will work with him the most will once again be Kliff Kingsbury who guided the Commanders' offense to being one of the best in the NFL in 2024. He'll continue to prioritize the spread/air raid offense with a mix of RPO's to keep defenses off balance. The Commanders will once again have one of the more fantasy-rich offenses in the NFL due to Kingsbury's uptempo style of play. An offensive mind like Kingsbury will always find ways to throw new wrinkles and evolve his scheme, but don't expect him to move away from the main thing. Passing Game QB: Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota WR: Terry McLaurin, K.J. Osborn WR: Deebo Samuel, Jaylin Lane WR: Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey TE: Zach Ertz, Ben Sinnott, John Bates Jayden Daniels was QB4 in terms of fantasy points per game last season. Many are calling for some type of 'regression' since he had such a great rookie season, but is throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns (with nine interceptions) really much of a ceiling? Eh I don't know about that one, I guess maybe if you add in the fact that he added another 891 yards and six touchdowns on ground. In this era of football though (with the above mentioned uptempo style offense), why can't those numbers be duplicated by an ascending talent? There's only two guys in drafting over Daniels and their names are Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Not only will Daniels be better, but the offense will be better around him. This starts with the addition of Deebo Samuel who will operate as their WR2 behind Terry McLaurin. Samuel will help out the offense in many ways starting with the fact that he can help alleviate attention off of McLaurin. He'll be someone Daniels can hit quickly in short areas of the field to use his RAC ability. While Samuel only finished as WR45 in 2024, he, along with his 49ers' teammates suffered a number of injuries. He should be drafted as a WR3 or WR4 on your fantasy teams. McLaurin on the other hand enjoyed his best season from touchdown standpoint hauling in 13 which was by far the best of his career. He ended last season as WR15 which was also the best of his career. With Deebo now on the fold, don't be shocked if McLaurin is second on the team in receptions yet still leading the team in receiving yards, touchdowns and fantasy points. Behind those two Noah Brown would get first dibs as the team's WR3, but don't count out rookie Jaylin Lane and second-year Luke McCaffrey. What we expected last season from the Commanders' tight ends isn't what we got. Ben Sinnott came in (and still is to be honest) last season as a versatile rookie tight end who could be used in a variety of ways. His season ended with a 5-28-1 stat line, but there is still hope. What we got was a resurgence from 34-year old, three-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz who had his best season since 2021 (66-654-7). This made him the TE11 in fantasy last season and he'll likely be drafted in this range this season so long as he's attached to the Commanders' offense. Running Game RB: Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt OL (L-R): Laremy Tunsil, Brandon Coleman, Tyler Biadasz, Sam Cosmi, Josh Conerly I would've loved to have seen the Commanders attack the running back position much earlier in the draft with a true game breaker as it would help the offense get closer to its ceiling. The Brian Robinson-Austin Ekeler duo was serviceable as last season RB24 and RB30 respectively. Jeremy McNichols also filled in nicely when called upon. What you see is what you get with this group. Robinson will continue to be the offenses battering ram who gets most of the carries near the goal line (59.5% of WAS carries inside the 5 last season) and short yardage situations, while Ekler be their main pass-catcher out of the backfield (53.8% of WAS RB receptions last season). 24-year-old rookie, Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the obvious unknown in terms of how he can potentially fit in the offense. He's certainly the quickest and most explosive of this running back group (4.45 in 40-yard dash and 41 ½ inch vertical) and it's not an elite one he'll have to contend with. He brings skills that the other Commanders' backs lack so if he can find his footing in camp, perhaps he can integrate himself into this committee. Another part of why I don't like all of the Commander regression talk is because they attacked their offensive line needs with a vengeance. Trading for Laremy Tunsil while still at the top of his game is big for Daniels and this offense. Coming back in the draft and securing one of the better tackles in Josh Conerly in the first round tells you everything you need to know about how they felt about their line. This unit is now deeper with a good blend of young guys and veterans to help his Commanders' offense once again play at a top eight level. 2025 Washington Commanders Win Total Win Total (O/U 9.5) There's a lot of talk of 'regression' when it comes to the Commanders heading into 2025. To me it's a strawman conversation and easy to have when you're talking about a team who went from four wins (in 2023) to 12 and ended up in the NFC Championship game. In that case anything less than reaching that point would technically be 'regression', but let's be real, the Commanders will be in the mix and that doesn't mean they have to duplicate exactly what they did last season. In fact, I feel like this offseason the Commanders moved like a team who was still hungry acquiring players like Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil and drafting Josh Conerly in the first round. They also made efforts to improve their 13th ranked defense. This isn't some fluke team, they went and beat two quality teams (Buccaneers and Lions) on the road in the playoffs. As long as Jayden Daniels is driving the bus, this team will have a shot, give me the over.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Predicted to Receive Major Accolade
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. When it comes to second-year players in the NFL, nobody is going to have more eyes on them this season than Jayden Daniels. As he prepares to build off his impressive rookie campaign, one writer believes he's in line for a major honor in 2025. It's very rare for a quarterback to come in and drastically alter this team's trajectory in just one season, but Daniels managed to accomplish that. He quickly took the league by storm with his dynamic skill set, instantly changing the Commanders' perception around the league. After nearly reaching the Super Bowl last season, Washington is now viewed as a dark horse contender in the NFC. Daniels had the benefit of being an unknown in the NFL last year, but that won't be the case this season. The hype around him has gone through the roof, and so have his expectations. Daniels now finds himself tasked with avoiding a sophomore slump while also reaching the high bar set for him. Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders runs with the football during the third quarter in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 26, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders runs with the football during the third quarter in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 26, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by/Getty Images Also read: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Remaining Humble After Strong Rookie Season Ahead of the 2025 season, Justin Edwards of CBS Sports laid out a series of All-Pro predictions. While breaking down the quarterback position, he chose the Commanders' star to receive this notable accolade. "Jayden Daniels is an intriguing player because he impacts the game not only with his arm, but also his feet," Edwards wrote. "The rookie tossed for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions while adding 891 yards and six touchdowns on the ground -- the second-most rushing yards and third-most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in 2024." Based on how he looked as a rookie, being named an All-Pro isn't out of the realm of possibility for Daniels. The Commanders improved the cast of talent around him, which should result in an uptick in production. As long as Washington is able to work things out with Terry McLaurin, the rising star will have all the firepower he needs to lead the team to another double-digit win season. Also read: Commanders Star WR Reacts to Ending Training Camp Holdout Based on all the buzz around him, it's clear people in and around the league view Daniels as the next big thing at QB. With his blend of athleticism and throwing ability, he has all the tools to be a premier talent for years to come. If he's able to put together an All-Pro season in year two, it will only speed up his already rapid ascension towards superstardom in the NFL. For more Washington Commanders and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
One Vikings player seen as a 'late-round flyer' in fantasy football in 2025
The Vikings are excited to have Jordan Mason on their offense in 2025. They traded for him this offseason while also extending Aaron Jones who they had a great 2024 campaign with. Despite the backfield being loaded, there remains a sleeper attitude as it relates to the former 49ers running back turned Viking. Sleeping is exactly what one analyst believes fantasy players are doing as it relates to Mason in 2025. ESPN's Liz Loza laid out her selections for being late-round fliers in your upcoming fantasy drafts, and Mason made the cut. She acknowledges that taking him will be a leap of faith, but it comes with a big payoff. She writes, "Jones stayed healthy in 2024 after missing six games the previous season with the Packers. However, he also touched the ball over 300 times. That's not nothing for a back entering his age-30 season. Moreover, Jones logged a meager five rushing scores despite registering 12 attempts inside the 5-yard line. Meanwhile, Mason was 22nd among RBs in red zone touches, scoring in three of four games in which he carried the rock 15 or more times. Given his size and power running style, Mason figures to emerge as the favorite in short-yardage and goal-line situations." Mason has a chance to pick up a lot of the redzone carries and short-yardage opportunities, as she mentions. That is because Jones, with his maneuverability, is predicted to be someone the Vikings use more in the pass game. Not to be forgotten, and a reason Mason was traded for, is his pass blocking. While that may not be something that gets you fantasy points, it keeps you on the field to earn more opportunities.
