Brock Purdy may have missed ESPN’s 2026 top-10 quarterback list, but the numbers are building a louder argument than any ranking panel.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco pointed out on KNBR that Purdy is tracking toward a historic milestone early in the 2026 season. If he reaches 147 passing attempts, he’ll hit 1,500 for his NFL career - and if his production stays on the same path, Maiocco said Purdy would move to the top of the all-time passer rating list.
“When he hits 147 [passing attempts], that gives him 1,500 pass attempts for his NFL career," Maiocco said on KNBR. "And at this pace, as long as those 147 go like the previous 1,353 have gone, Brock Purdy will be the all-time leading player in NFL history when it comes to passer rating.
Right now, he's at 104.0, and currently atop the list in NFL history are Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson at 102.2. So if that's not a top 10 quarterback, then… then I'm not sure what is."
That’s the kind of stat line that doesn’t need much dressing up. Purdy has already piled up 11,685 passing yards, 84 touchdowns and 37 interceptions on 1,353 career attempts. If he stays healthy and keeps his job as a competent starter for the 49ers in 2026, those totals are only going to climb.
The advanced metrics tell a similar story. Pro Football Focus slotted Purdy as the NFL’s 10th-best quarterback entering 2026, and he did it while sitting ahead of eight former No. 1 overall picks.
His 85.4 overall grade ranked sixth among quarterbacks, while his 65.8 passing grade under pressure checked in third in the league. He also posted a league-best 9.0% pressure-to-sack rate, a strong sign of how quickly he processes and gets the ball out before the pocket breaks down.
Add in a 78.7% accuracy rate and the fact that he led all quarterbacks in EPA per play on third and fourth down last season among passers with at least 100 late-down dropbacks, and the case gets even sturdier.
Purdy is also hearing it from someone who knew him long before the NFL did. Xavier Hutchinson, his former receiver at Iowa State, said Purdy belongs in the top-10 discussion.
So while rankings can leave him out, the efficiency numbers keep pushing him back in. Between the passer rating pace and the PFF grades, the math makes a stronger argument for Purdy than the list did.
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