NEW ORLEANS – Brock Purdy carefully put on his sock and sneaker over a slightly swollen but not discolored big toe, the right one that kept him out of his 49ers uniform Sunday and put Mac Jones into the leading role of a 26-21 win over the Saints.

Purdy smiled when asked about Jones’ debut, calling it “awesome” after observing from the 49ers sideline, where he chimed in “here and there” without interfering.

“He’s started in the NFL before, so I didn’t want to act like an older guy,” Purdy said in an exclusive interview with the Bay Area News Group at his locker. “He’s been here before. He knows what to do. So I just let him do his thing.”

This was Jones’ 50th career start, the others stacking up in New England and Jacksonville. Purdy has 37 regular-season starts (and six playoff thrille

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