Despite leading the San Francisco 49ers to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance, some critics still regard quarterback Brock Purdy as a game manager. Their main point of contention is that he wouldn’t have been as successful without players like Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk lining up around him.
However, as tweeted by Pro Football Focus, Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome gave Purdy some credit by revealing that they treated him as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. PFF backed up Newsome’s statement by pointing out that the former Iowa State standout is one of the best deep-ball throwers.
Last season, Purdy ranked first among quarterbacks (99.9) in throws of at least 20 yards. His 11 touchdowns off deep throws also topped all passers. Conversely, he had one interception when making long throws.
Brock Purdy on 20+ yard throws in 2023:
— PFF (@PFF) July 31, 2024
99.9 passing grade (1st)
11 touchdowns (1st)
1 interception pic.twitter.com/5samqoTmiS
Those numbers helped establish Purdy’s first Pro Bowl season, as he finished with 308 completions for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. His 113.0 passer rating and 9.6 yards per completion led the league last year.
Niners fans expect nothing short of a playoff appearance in Purdy’s third NFL season. However, the former “Mr. Irrelevant” has embraced and overcome this challenge since taking over from Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022. Another strong campaign could give him leverage in contract negotiations, which could take place after the 2024 season.
-Lance Fernandez