George Kittle with a heartfelt message for Brock Purdy — reminding him to heal fully and return stronger. The 49ers’ bond runs deeper than football

Although Mac Jones is 4-1 since stepping in as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Brock Purdy’s turf toe injury is turning out to be more serious than initially expected.

It’s a strange situation. After injuring his toe in Week 1, he was rushed back and looked far from his usual self in his second game.

He hasn’t played since. The right call. But the complexity of a turf toe injury makes it difficult to predict when he’ll be fully healthy. After signing that contract, this is the worst possible way to begin your time as the leader of the franchise.

George Kittle’s assessment of Brock Purdy’s injury is spot on

Tight end George Kittle knows all too well what extended time off feels like. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 and didn’t make his second start until Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

“How I understand it is, just like with the turf toe stuff, it’s basically if you trigger it at all before it’s healed, I think you just back up in the recovery process,” said Kittle on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast.

“My thing, what I’ve just told Brock is, ‘Just get to where you feel fantastic and then play football again.’ We know what Brock can do. We’re excited to see Brock Purdy play football.

“I just don’t want him to come back too soon, and then the same thing happens like when he played against Jacksonville, and then he’s out for a couple more weeks, because Brock’s a phenomenal football player that is the best orchestrator of this offense that I’ve ever seen. And what Kyle Shanahan has done, he’s just so efficient at it.

“And so, I just want him to be at 100% before he tries to take the field again. And I think he’s aware of that, and I think he’s going to do a good job with his recovery, and he’ll come back when he feels like he’s ready.”

The world-class talent that is Purdy is missed, though. But the 49ers cannot afford to rush him back again. Exercising caution might just be one of the most defining decisions of the year.

Given the unpredictable nature of turf toe injuries, this is the most sensible course of action.

The 49ers are somehow 5-2 despite all their injuries, with Kyle Shanahan rejuvenating Mac Jones’ career in the process. Jones has seized the moment and shown what he’s capable of this season.