The San Francisco 49ers endured a tough 2024 campaign following their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58.
Things took a turn late in the offseason when top draft pick Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery. Injuries and more off-field issues contributed to a six-win campaign, tied for the fewest in the last five years for the franchise.
Injuries piled up on both sides of the ball but hit some on the offense hardest. Star running back Christian McCaffrey missed most of the season and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7.
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One of the biggest losses came on the offensive line as first-team All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams missed seven games with an ankle injury.
For quarterback Brock Purdy, that was a key loss down the second half of the season.
“Last year he got hurt towards the end and it’s just different,” Purdy said on the July 8 episode of the “Bussin with the Boys” podcast. “Obviously, whoever gets thrown in I trust and we’re good… [but] he’s locked down over there.
He’s my little safety blanket. I’m like ‘I need my binkie’ and I need him to be in the game.”
Prior to 2024, Williams had made the Pro Bowl in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The lone exception was 2019 which he missed when recovering from surgery to remove cancer. He was a first-team All-Pro from 2021 to 2023 with San Francisco.
“You watch his run game and the stuff, the moves that he does, it’s like ‘what the heck?'” Purdy said. “He does this ninja move thing and then pushes guys in the ground… as a right-handed quarterback, knowing that my left side dude is good, I can’t even describe to you.”
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Williams is entering his age-37 season in 2025 but says he is not considering retirement anytime soon.
“I just feel like I do myself and my teammates a disservice if I’m looking toward the end,” Williams said during minicamp. “I’m paid, people count on me to be here now. We got goals and aspirations as a team. I just don’t think putting brain power toward that helps us get to where we want to go.”
San Francisco starts training camp on July 15 for rookies and July 22 for veterans like Williams and Purdy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 49ers’ Brock Purdy calls Trent Williams his ‘binkie’
