Goodnews: Former 49ers QB is back
There isn’t a finer panel to be on for a rising senior college quarterback who wants to play professionally than this one, with four current and former NFL quarterbacks with impressive resumes, lots of Super Bowl experience, inspirational tales, and lofty awards.
Riley Leonard, the quarterback for Notre Dame, was lucky enough to have a seat—or a chance to pick brains—at the annual Dwight Clark Legacy Series event at the California Theater in San Jose on Thursday night. Renowned 49ers signal callers Alex Smith, Steve Young, Jeff Garcia, and Brock Purdy offered advice there.
After spending three seasons at Duke, Leonard, 21, is back with the Fighting Irish for what will likely be his final season. He had a strong 2025 NFL Draft goal while there, recording 382 completions, 4,450 throwing yards, and 24 passing touchdowns.
Together, these San Francisco icons made excellent teachers, each with a unique contribution for the eager-to-learn Leonard. Here’s how Smith, Garcia, Young, and Purdy helped their teammate quarterback get more confidence.
Alex Smith
After going first overall in the 2005 draft, Smith, a 16-year NFL veteran, spent eight seasons with San Francisco.
He gave Leonard some wise counsel about learning to embrace the highs and lows of being an athlete.
“I believe you should have faith in yourself. Smith said, “You’re good enough,” to thunderous cheers. “I believe that your best effort suffices. Additionally, I believe—and I know there will be a ton of clichés used to describe this—that you should enjoy the process. I think we get too focused on the end result, and while objectives are important, your habits are what really matter. And once more, the route is not easy for any of us, regardless of whether we are selected first or last.
Smith is well-versed in overcoming hardship and accepting many routes and methods.
Smith suffered a throwing shoulder injury in his third season with the 49ers, which prevented him from playing in his fourth and final games of the season. Then, Smith’s stint with the 49ers came to an end when he was benched by rising star Colin Kaepernick following a concussion he sustained in the second half of his ninth season with San Francisco.
Though he never received the ring he wanted, Smith went on to enjoy greater success in terms of records during his four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Rather, he signed with Washington in 2018 and suffered a potentially fatal complex fracture to his right tibia and fibula, one of the most horrific injuries in sports history.
Nevertheless, Smith made a triumphant return to the field of play, culminating one of the most remarkable comeback tales in NFL history, before to permanently taking off his jersey during the 2021 offseason.
“Struggles will arise,” Smith emphasized. “Take up the struggle. It’s what you were supposed to go through, and you’d be better off for it, right? In my opinion, yes. Adversity happens frequently, and I know what it’s like to feel too heavy, undesired, and unpleasant. However, growth occurs when you come out on the other side of it. There is where progress takes place.
Few athletes have gone through a career-altering injury like Smith’s, or have excelled in their sport again after recovering from it.
All that is necessary to understand Jeff Garcia Garcia’s motivation and commitment to football is that he was a 29-year-old rookie with the 49ers.
The San Jose State graduate was passed over as a draft possibility and spent five seasons in the CFL, starting as Doug Flutie’s backup, before joining the NFL to support Steve Young, the legendary player from San Francisco.
Similar to Smith, Garcia counseled Leonard to “embrace” both the trip and the moment he is in.
“Grace the moment first and foremost,” Garcia said. “You have one more season of collegiate football left. For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, you have the chance to give it your all. You have a unique and valuable chance before you.
“My kids ask me all the time, ‘So, Dad, what professional football team do you think I’m gonna play for?'” (12 years old). And I reply, “None.” Not even Pop Warner is played by you yet. As in, “Be good here first, be good now.” As best you can at this moment. If you make the most of your chance, everything else will work itself out.
In life, there aren’t many opportunities. Hell, I wasn’t even a rookie; I was a 29-year-old. I mean, my hair was all over the place, but not anymore. Having said that, we all know that opportunities are extremely valuable and in short supply in life.
Garcia was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl four times throughout his career. But initially, he was just a nameless backup.
When he spoke with Leonard, he made sure to emphasize preparedness, expressing a meticulous readiness that can be demonstrated in a matter of seconds or years.
“Are you ready to seize this opportunity? Have you put in the necessary mental, physical, and overall preparation so that you’re ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself?” Garcia enquired. “Achieve that immediately. Consider that for a moment. After that, you can inquire, “Hey, what’s it like to be a rookie quarterback?”
“Hey, you still have a year to prove that you deserve it. Only a select few get to be in that position.”
Garcia signed a free-agent contract with the 49ers and played for the team for 33 seasons, from the age of 29. Like Smith, he was never the major winner, but he did leave San Francisco as a fan favorite.
There’s no need to introduce Steve Young.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer and former 15-year NFL veteran, who holds nearly every quarterback record for the 49ers and numerous other quarterback records around the league, gave Leonard clear advise when he said to consult Purdy.
“Brock, I have a question for you because… You have a superpower in processing information, and it’s amazing that when you were a young player, you just went out on the field to start digesting the Miami Dolphins,” Young questioned Purdy. “How would you advise him to prepare for that?
For a quarterback, reading the game is crucial, and Purdy had to do it fast as a rookie, going from third to first on 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s depth chart.
In his day, Young read a lot on the field. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl pick, three-time Super Bowl champion, and three-time AP All-Pro. However, he says Purdy can assist Leonard more than most because San Francisco’s quarterback is only three years older than Leonard and was the four-year collegiate athlete that Leonard plans to be at Notre Dame.
That, in my opinion, is the key, Young said. We would be incredibly fortunate if Purdy could take the trait that you possess and impart it to every quarterback. And how would you characterize your readiness to begin processing right away?
Brock Purdy
Leonard was truly blessed, as was the assembly.
Purdy has made a huge impact on the 49ers in a short period of time. But like Garcia, he recommended a more measured approach with Leonard, one in which the potential client should concentrate on the here and now.
According to Purdy, “yeah, it kind of hits to Jeff’s point just in terms of being where you are right now, playing right now, and not trying to jump to a conclusion of getting to the NFL so fast.” “Life has a process, and I feel like a lot of people these days want to just skip the process,” the speaker said. They want to get somewhere because they see guys there and they don’t want to experience the highs and lows and all that kind of thing.
Purdy’s incredible 2023 NFL season earned him a spot in the MVP finals. He suggests that most players don’t want to put in the time necessary to go to the top, or at least to a position close to it.
The astute 24-year-old suggests that Leonard should instead focus on what has worked for him and make the most of his soon-to-be four-year college career.
After all, Purdy feels that he was ready for what the NFL had in store for him during his time in college.
In a casual manner, Purdy said, “But what I would say is that I played four years at Iowa State, so all those reps of defenses and schemes, like all that stuff added up.” “Just the entire game preparation, dude. I felt like I was back at Iowa State playing 11 on 11 when I finally got in versus Miami because of everything I had seen—different safety structures, blitzes, you name it.
“All right, so. That should be helpful.
The esteemed 49ers quarterbacks did not let Leonard down when they offered him excellent guidance and understanding.
The quartet’s responses were overwhelmingly focused on accepting one’s trip, but the most important lesson was that everyone was eager to share what they had learned.
Reassuringly, Leonard has a lot on his mind as he prepares for his final year at Notre Dame.
