The San Francisco 49ers are holding firm at the 3rd spot in the NFC West, with backup quarterback Mac Jones doing just enough to keep the offense afloat. Ever since Brock Purdy handed over the keys of the offense after going down early in the season with a turf toe injury, Jones has stepped in and kept things steady under the center, landing the offense in the league’s top 10 (352.1 yards per game). But now, fans are on the edge because insiders are dropping major updates about Purdy’s return that could shake things up.

“The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is getting closer. They’re looking at the potential for him to return in week 11,” Mike Garafolo said. “They’ve made it clear, when Purdy is healthy, he is back under center for them as their quarterback.”

Though Mac Jones might watch the game from the sidelines later, he will continue to take charge of the offense for now, as he did in the past…like a leader.

Jones has performed competently as a starter in Purdy’s absence. He holds a 5-2 record in the season with an impressive completion rate of 67.2%. As per PFF, he finds himself at the 11th spot with a 76.4 overall grade among 36 quarterbacks. Even his last performance against the Los Angeles Rams was one of his finest outings in the season.

The first round pick managed 33 of 49 for 342 yards in a week 5 overtime victory against the Rams. In the game, he also racked up 2 touchdowns without being intercepted even once. Despite these clutch displays, his future role with the franchise is uncertain, as experts are optimistic for Purdy’s return.

Brock Purdy’s backup status gets updated after the toe injury

“You got Mac Jones starting this week. They’re hopeful that if it’s not this week, it will definitely be next week. That’s at least the loose plan right now.” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter.

Earlier, it was reported that Purdy would be back on the field soon, but may not go as a starter and instead backup to Jones before he recovers completely. However, things now seem to have changed after the recent update on his injury.

Brock Purdy is currently stuck on the sidelines with a nagging turf toe injury that has sidelined him on two separate occasions. First, during the 2025 season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, he aggravated the injury in the Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Since then, he’s been forced out of the play, missing six straight games after this week. But the injury clouds seem to be clearing up for him after the head coach confirmed that he’s “pretty confident we’ll see him this year.”

Brock Purdy has been the heartbeat of the 49ers’ offense, holding down the QB spot before the injury. He boosted the offense with his strong 65.8% completion rate and averaged around 293 yards per game. Simply put, the buzz around Purdy’s return is real, and this will definitely flip the script for their current starter, Mac Jones. But for now, every 49ers fan has their fingers crossed for their QB’s return.