Who Should I Start? Brock Purdy or Caleb Williams

Tuesday, April 22, 3:27 PM

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy reported to the start of the team's offseason activities, according to NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The 2022 seventh-round pick is entering the final season of his rookie deal and is slated to earn $5.35 million in base salary. Purdy, who has thrown for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions in 40 career games, is making well below the starting quarterback market as a clear starter, and he could receive a lucrative extension this offseason. Entering 2025, Purdy will be without Deebo Samuel Sr., who was traded to the Washington Commanders. Additionally, Brandon Aiyuk (knee) could miss the start of the season after suffering a torn ACL in 2024. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall could be his top two wideouts to begin the year, but the Niners could be aggressive in targeting a wideout in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Tuesday, April 1, 11:47 PM

Chicago Bears new head coach Ben Johnson said the team plans to go "back to the basics" with quarterback Caleb Williams heading into his second year as a pro after a disappointing rookie campaign after he was the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. "It's the fundamentals of the quarterback position: What's our footwork going to look like under center? From the shotgun? What are we calling the formations? What's the defensive identification going to look like? So that we're all speaking the same language," Johnson said. The 23-year-old will take more snaps under center during offseason workouts to gauge his comfort level. Chicago ran 70.8% of their plays from shotgun in 2024 (tied for 16th-most), but the Lions lined up in shotgun less than any other team under Johnson. Williams took a league-high 68 sacks last year, so using more play-action should help better protect him. On paper, the addition of Johnson should be excellent news for Williams' development.