The Nikefication of the NFL is working.
Yes, I’m in the “get off my lawn” camp when it comes to the proliferation of alternate jerseys and helmets for NFL teams. When Nike first got the NFL apparel contract in 2012, I knew it was just a matter of time before plenty of pro teams looked like Oregon, with a different uniform combination nearly every week.
It won’t be ending. For one very important reason. Or, more accurately, for millions of them.
At the end of the day, it’s a revenue stream. It’s more stuff for fans to buy. Previously, there were three things for the wish list: helmet, dark jersey, light jersey. Now, there are up to three helmets and (frankly) we’ve lost count of the available jerseys for purchase.
And it’s working. According to Sports Business Journal, the first eight “Rivalries” uniforms are selling. Well. On Wednesday, the league, Nike, and Fanatics launched the AFC East/NFC West versions of the latest alternate look. And it was (unfortunately) Fanatics’ ”biggest and highest selling product launch ever and its best overall day of merchandise sales so far this year,” via SBJ. The “Rivalries” jerseys made up 80 percent of all sales across the entire Fanatics network.
The top-selling team was the 49ers, and the top-selling player was Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
So get ready for more disruptions to the traditional uniforms. And get ready for more nonsensical marketing plans, like calling a game played on September 11 a “winter warning.”
The fact that these alternate jerseys are selling means there will be more. And more. And more.
It’s similar to cramming commercials into RedZone, or flexing games from Sunday to Thursday or Thursday to Sunday or Sunday to Monday or Monday to Sunday, regardless of the impact of such changes to the travel plans of fans.
The NFL is a drug. And we’re all addicted. Even if we don’t like the changes the supplier is making, we’ll keep scratching our necks and asking for more.
A report Thursday indicates Brock Purdy will miss 2-5 weeks with a toe injury, but General Manager John Lynch later said the 49ers consider their quarterback “week to week.”
Purdy will miss this week, with coach Kyle Shanahan ruling Purdy out for Sunday’s game against the Saints.
“Yeah, he won’t be playing this week,” Shanahan said on KNBR, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com.
Shanahan conceded that Purdy, who also has a left shoulder injury, could miss multiple weeks.
“Yeah, the same deal as what I said yesterday,” Shanahan said. “Still a chance he can miss the next game. We’re not sure. We’ll see how the toe heals. It’s kind of week-to-week right now, but he’s getting better. Had a good rehab day today, and hopefully, we’ll have some better luck next week.”
Purdy went 26-of-35 passing for 277 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in a victory over the Seahawks in Week 1.
In his absence, Mac Jones will start with practice squad quarterback Adrian Martinez as the backup.
Receiver Kendrick Bourne has returned to the 49ers, after four seasons in New England. As Bourne gets ready for what could be his first game with the 49ers since 2020, Bourne is relying on a former New England teammate.
Quarterback Mac Jones, who’ll get the start on Sunday at New Orleans in place of Brock Purdy, is getting Bourne up to speed.
“He’s been helping me get acclimated,” Bourne said Thursday, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “Just studying with him, he’s been giving me tips, gems of how to think about things.”
And Bourne has full faith in Jones’s ability to get the job done for the 49ers.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Bourne said, per Maiocco. “He’s used to it. He’s been a starter in this league. He’s experienced everything. He knows what to see, he knows how to study, he knows exactly what to do, so I’m secure in knowing how prepared he will be.”
Bourne’s first year in New England coincided with Jones’s arrival as a first-round draft pick.
“Mac helped me when I transitioned over there,” Bourne said. “It was his rookie year, and I had one of my best years, so it was dope to be around.”
It was dope, that is, until some dope put a defensive coach in charge of the offense.
“Things go how they go,” Bourne said. “Every year is different. Some are good, some are bad, and we both fell victim to certain situations and them not going the way we probably planned them to go.”
That’s absolutely the most diplomatic way to describe what became, to use a technical term, a shit show in New England under the team’s former head coach.
For now, the question is whether Bourne will be ready to go, less than a week after returning to San Francisco.
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask,” Bourne said. “But it’s all up to me. It falls on me. So if I go out there and I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s because I didn’t study enough. I’ve been just attacking it this week and I’m excited to see what happens. . . . I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m excited to see what’s going to happen.”
That’s a good outlook on life, generally. Of course, 49ers fans may not feel that way when it comes to Purdy not being able to play, after only one game of the 2025 season.
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) did not practice again Thursday.
Jennings left with his injury in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ win over the Seahawks and did not return. MRI and CT scans revealed no significant damage to his left shoulder.
He had two catches for 16 yards in Week 1.
Running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/not injury related) missed practice Wednesday, but he returned to full participation Thursday.
McCaffrey created some concern last week when he popped up on the injury report, but the 2023 offensive player of the year said it was “nothing serious.” He played 58 offensive snaps and had 31 touches for 142 yards from scrimmage.
Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) returned to limited work after missing Wednesday’s sessions.
The rest of the team’s report remained the same, with quarterback Brock Purdy (left shoulder/toe) and left tackle Trent Williams (knee/not injury related) not practicing again. Offensive guard Ben Bartch (knee/elbow), running back Jordan James (finger) and wide receiver Jordan Watkins (ankle) remained limited.
Saints defensive end Chase Young remained out of practice Thursday, which doesn’t bode well for his availability for Sunday.
Young hurt his calf in the Sept. 3 practice and sat out last Thursday and Friday before being inactive for the season opener.
Young played all 17 games last season.
Offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis after missing Wednesday’s work. Long snapper Zach Wood (elbow) was downgraded to a non-participant after limited work a day earlier.
The rest of the team’s injury report remained the same with offensive lineman Trevor Penning (toe) and safety Julian Blackmon (shoulder) still out; running back Velus Jones (knee) again limited; and safety Jordan Howden (oblique) a full participant for the second day in a row.
