Brock Purdy keeps climbing the quarterback conversation, and the latest rankings suggest the league is starting to catch up.
The Athletic placed the San Francisco 49ers quarterback at No. 11 among NFL starters, tied with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. That puts Purdy in a crowded neighborhood, with familiar names occupying the top 10. But the list also includes a few quarterbacks ahead of him - Jordan Love, Jared Goff and Drake Maye among them - who could reasonably be argued behind Purdy on a given day.
For Purdy supporters, though, this version of the rankings lands closer to reality than some of the others that have come out recently. An ESPN list from a month ago had him lower, reinforcing the idea that he still doesn’t get the respect his play deserves.
The anonymous commentary around the ranking circles back to the same point again and again: Purdy’s mobility and scrambling ability. One line cuts through the rest: “It’s tough finding voters who don’t mention Shanahan’s system when discussing Purdy.”
That’s the hurdle Purdy has to clear, and it’s a big one. Playing for Kyle Shanahan means his production is often filtered through the lens of the coach’s offensive reputation, and that gives skeptics an easy way to downplay what Purdy is doing himself.
It’s not exactly a new storyline in football. Joe Montana heard the same “system quarterback” label in San Francisco, and Tom Brady got hit with similar talk early in his career.
Purdy’s job now is to keep stacking seasons and forcing the conversation to move. He may never get pushed all the way into the game’s top tier by public rankings, but that won’t matter much if he can deliver a Super Bowl for the 49ers. At that point, the lists can say whatever they want.
For now, the important part is that he’s moving up. More people are starting to see what 49ers fans have known since he arrived as a rookie.
And Purdy himself? He’s not chasing the debate.
He wants wins. If San Francisco can stay healthy this season, another run is on the table.
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