Brock Purdy has undergone successful surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament, the San Francisco 49ers have announced.

Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on the first offensive series of San Francisco's NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. That injury, followed by the concussion suffered by backup Josh Johnson, left the Niners without a recognised quarterback for the second half of a 31-7 loss.

Prior to that, Purdy had improbably emerged as a star for the Niners.

The last pick in the 2022 draft, Purdy took over from the injured Jimmy Garoppolo – who had previously stepped in after Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury – in the Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins and subsequently led the 49ers to further five wins as starter to end the regular season before helping them prevail in a pair of playoff games as the second seed in the NFC.

His surgery had been delayed because of inflammation, but he underwent the procedure on Friday and is expected to resume throwing in three months.

A brief statement from the 49ers read: "San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy underwent successful surgery with renowned specialist Dr. Keith Meister this morning.

"Dr. Meister conducted an internal brace repair to Purdy's right elbow. Purdy is anticipated to start a throwing progression program in three months."

Purdy's timeline sets the stage for a potential training camp battle with Lance, the third overall pick in 2021. San Francisco traded three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins for the right to move up and acquire Lance.

Robbed of his first season as the starter by injury, Lance has started just four games as an NFL quarterback, having only had one full season of experience in college with North Dakota State at the FCS level, college football's second tier below the FBS.

Purdy, by contrast, started 48 FBS games for Iowa State and, after completing 67.1 per cent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions as a rookie, will likely be seen as the favourite to win the starting job if his recovery goes to plan.

Brandon Graham has agreed a one-year extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, turning down the chance to enter free agency.

The veteran defensive end posted a career-best 11 sacks in the 2022 season, and has reportedly signed a deal worth up to $6million.

According to a report from ESPN, the Cleveland Browns had been interested in acquiring Graham, but the 34-year-old ultimately chose to stay in Philadelphia for another year.

"I definitely don't want to miss out on this championship that we're about to make a run for," he told ESPN.

"I pretty much directed [my agent] Joel [Segal] just to get a deal done before free agency so I wouldn't have to go through that part. I'm just so happy everything came to fruition.

"It wasn't even about no money. It was more about wanting to be an Eagle as long as I could still play at a high level, and of course I still have a sour taste in my mouth on how things ended this last year [losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl]."

Graham also recorded 16 quarterback hits in his 17 regular season outings, a total he has only ever bettered twice in his 13-year career.

The Minnesota Vikings are releasing wide receiver Adam Thielen, according to multiple media reports, ending his decade-long tenure with the team.

The move is expected to save the Vikings $6.4million towards the 2023 salary cap, but the franchise will absorb Thielen's scheduled salary of $13.5m as dead money.

Thielen and the Vikings had discussed a renegotiated contact that would have kept the 32-year-old receiver in Minnesota, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, but the sides were unable to come to an agreement.

A native of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Thielen starred for Division II Minnesota State-Mankato and earned a spot on the Vikings' practice squad after going undrafted in 2013.

Thielen broke out in 2016 and went on to become a local hero, ending his stint in Minnesota third in franchise history in receptions (534) and receiving touchdowns (55), trailing only Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss.

Thielen was voted to two Pro Bowls in his time with Minnesota and was an All-Pro Second Team selection in 2017.

Starting all 17 games last season, Thielen finished with 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns, but his role in the offense dwindled down the stretch, catching just seven passes in the Vikings’ final four games.

Thielen had previously said he hoped to play his entire career in Minnesota, but the Vikings' offense has shifted towards younger players like T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn to support All-Pro Justin Jefferson.

"When you have the receiver that leads the league in yards and receptions and have three other guys with 60-plus, you feel really strong about that group," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters last week at the NFL Scouting Combine. "Adam is one of those leaders that I speak of. His team-mates voted him as a captain, [for] what he means not only to our organisation but the Twin Cities.

"I think there's a conversation to be had to really see what that looks like: playing time and roles and responsibilities so that all of our players feel like not only it's a fair compensation for them, but we've got the kind of players where they care a lot about their role and their responsibilities and how they help us win."

Thielen has developed a friendship with Aaron Rodgers in recent years, playing together in numerous celebrity golf events, and some have speculated that the pair may try to team up wherever Rodgers ends up playing in 2023.