When the 49ers take the field Saturday night in a hostile Seattle environment, Brock Purdy won’t just be relying on his arm or his playmakers - he’ll be leaning heavily on the man right in front of him: center Jake Brendel.
In Kyle Shanahan’s offense, the center isn’t just snapping the ball and holding the point of attack - he’s the quarterback before the quarterback. And with the 49ers heading into one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL for a second-round playoff matchup against the top-seeded Seahawks, Brendel’s role becomes even more vital.
“You bank those reps in the offseason,” Brendel said this week. “I’m a huge proponent that there are no days off for centers. You’ve got to be out there every day with your quarterback and your guys, so they can hear you, understand what you’re doing, and get the mindset.”
That mindset - calm, calculated, and consistent - has been a cornerstone of the 49ers’ offensive line play all season. While most fans focus on what happens from snap to whistle, Brendel’s real value often shows up before the ball is even in Purdy’s hands.
In Shanahan’s system, the center shoulders a heavy mental load. Brendel is tasked with identifying the defensive front, making protection calls, and dictating run blocking assignments. It’s a system that deliberately removes some of the pre-snap pressure from the quarterback - and places it squarely on Brendel.
“When you look at what we ask our center to do with protections and run plays, we don’t ask our quarterback to point out a lot,” Shanahan said. “We have the center do a lot of that. And Jake is as good as any center I’ve been around at doing that stuff.”
That’s not just coach-speak. According to right tackle Colton McKivitz, it’s not unusual for a center in this system to rack up 30 to 40 missed assignments over a season - the job is that complex.
Brendel? He had less than half that.
And he still wasn’t satisfied.
“The number I always want to get to is zero,” Brendel said.
That perfectionist mentality has earned him the respect of the entire offensive line room. All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams has repeatedly praised Brendel’s command of the offense, while left guard Spencer Burford credits him for helping smooth his transition from right guard to swing tackle to his current spot on the left side.
“Being in the same position, and this style of offense, for so long, he picks up on a lot of things very quickly,” Burford said. “He can make minor adjustments.
He’ll make a savvy move by giving us a false call. The D-line reads calls, so Jake will throw out a dummy call just to throw off the guy on the other side.”
That kind of next-level thinking is what makes Brendel so valuable. He’s not just playing the position - he’s playing the chess match.
At 33 years old, Brendel has taken the long road to becoming the anchor of one of the league’s most efficient offenses. After going undrafted out of UCLA in 2016, he signed with the Cowboys before landing with the Dolphins, where he was coached by current 49ers offensive line coach Chris Foerster. That connection eventually brought him to San Francisco, where he backed up veteran Alex Mack before taking over as the starter in 2022.
Since then, he’s quietly become one of the most reliable centers in football. Brendel didn’t allow a single sack this season, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the eighth-best center in the league among full-time starters. He’s athletic enough to thrive in Shanahan’s zone-heavy run scheme, but it’s his football IQ that’s kept him on the field - and in the good graces of his coaches.
“I feel like mentally I’m getting better every year,” Brendel said.
His contract runs through the 2026 season, and based on how Shanahan talks about him, it’s clear the 49ers see Brendel as a long-term piece of the puzzle.
“I think he’s one of the better centers in this league,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think Jake nearly gets enough credit for just how good of a football player he is. Every year, we study free agents, we study around the league - and I’ve always been very happy with the center we have.”
As the 49ers prepare for a playoff battle in one of the NFL’s most unforgiving environments, Brendel’s steady hand and sharp mind will be essential. The crowd will be loud, the Seahawks’ defensive front will be aggressive, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
But if you’re looking for someone who can handle the noise - both literal and metaphorical - Jake Brendel’s your guy.