Brock Purdy has already done the hard part of the Drew Brees conversation: he’s made the production look real.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has spent three seasons piling up efficient fantasy seasons, landing inside QB1 range in fantasy points per game each year. In that stretch, he ranked seventh overall at 18.5, trailed only Lamar Jackson in touchdown rate per attempt, and led all quarterbacks at 0.21 expected points added per dropback. That’s the kind of profile that gets people talking.
But Purdy isn’t interested in the comparison for the obvious reasons. The matching size, the modest arm strength, the skepticism that followed both him and Brees out of college - that’s not where he sees the parallel.
On the Coach2Coach podcast with former NFL head coach Jason Garrett, Purdy said the link is about how they impact everyone else around them. He pointed to the way both quarterbacks "find ways to elevate guys around us in our play and their play."
That’s the real thread connecting the two, and it’s also where the 2026 season starts to matter.
Purdy is already operating with one of the deepest weapon groups in football, and the numbers say the efficiency is there. The question now is volume.
A shaky San Francisco defense could push him past 500 pass attempts for the first time in his career, and that’s the kind of workload that changes the conversation fast. It’s the same formula that fueled Baker Mayfield’s 2024 breakout: elite talent around the quarterback, top-end efficiency, and a career-high number of throws.
The physical comparisons are easy enough to line up. Brees was listed at 6-foot and 209 pounds with the New Orleans Saints, while Purdy checks in at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. Close enough that the two can look nearly interchangeable on paper.
Neither quarterback arrived with a cannon, and both were doubted for pedigree, Purdy from Iowa State and Brees from Purdue. Each turned that skepticism into fuel.
Still, Purdy keeps coming back to toughness, and that may be the part of the Brees comparison that gets tested most over a full season.
"I love quarterbacks who are tough and they can go through and play through tough things and situations, environments, physical pain, and you still find a way to win," he told Garrett.
That’s the real 2026 exam. If the 49ers’ defense keeps forcing tight games and the scoring chances keep stacking up, Purdy won’t just need to be accurate.
He’ll need to keep taking hits, keep the offense on schedule, and keep his playmakers rolling. That’s the sort of workload that built the Brees reputation in the first place.
And Purdy has the setup to make it happen: a loaded receiving room, a proven efficiency floor, and a pass total that could finally jump into new territory. He’s already spent three seasons putting up QB1 results without much noise. In 2026, the spotlight could finally catch up.
In Other News...
49ers Now Face A Bigger Jed York Problem Than The Arrest
Jed Yorks arrest in Ohio may have grabbed the headlines, but inside the 49ers building the more immediate issue is how the team keeps moving with its principal owner operating at a reduced level. General manager John Lynch said the club is preparing for any possible league discipline while also adjusting to a leadership structure that has shifted more of the day-to-day football load toward executive Al Guido, even as the team insists the locker room and football operations have not been disrupted.
For San Francisco, the test is bigger than the legal fallout itself because ownership presence matters during a season, especially for a franchise that has spent years trying to keep its football side steady. The 49ers have tried to project calm publicly, but Yorks absence from the usual rhythm of the operation leaves a different kind of question hanging over the organization: not what happened in Ohio, but how long the team can keep functioning as if nothing has changed. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Australia Plan Could Create A Huge Rams Debate
The NFLs first regular-season game in Australia has already created a contrast in approach, with the Rams and 49ers set to meet in Melbourne on Sept. 10. Los Angeles plans a quick turnaround, arriving the day before the game and heading out right after, while San Francisco is taking a more measured route by getting there several days early to deal with the time change.
That difference has opened the door to an interesting travel debate, especially with neurologist W. Christopher Winter saying the Rams shorter stay may actually be the better way to handle jet lag. For the 49ers, the bigger question is whether the extra days on the ground will help them settle in overseas or end up making the trip feel longer than it needs to be. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have A Tempting O-Line Possibility They May Not Afford
The 49ers search for stability at left guard has made Quenton Nelson look like the kind of rare upgrade that would instantly change the conversation up front. The Indianapolis Colts still have not reached an extension with the three-time All-Pro, and the talks are currently stagnant, which is enough to get any team with an opening on the interior offensive line at least thinking about a move.
San Francisco is one of the clubs that naturally comes up in that discussion because the spot remains a weakness, but the fit is not so simple. Salary cap constraints and the teams other priorities make a deal for Nelson look unlikely right now, even if the talent level would be hard to ignore for a 49ers front office that knows how valuable dominant play inside can be. [Read more 🡒]