Brock Purdy’s résumé keeps getting better, but the skepticism around him hasn’t gone anywhere.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has already gone from last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the team’s long-term starter, then landed a five-year, $265 million contract extension before the 2025 season. He also put up 2,167 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions despite missing several games because of injury.
Still, not everyone around the league is buying in.
Even with San Francisco going 30-15 in his starts, one anonymous NFL general manager took a hard line on Purdy’s place in the quarterback hierarchy. “You know he’s never been a franchise quarterback for me,” a longtime GM told Jason La Canfora. “On pure ability, he’s closer to a back-up than a top-10 guy.”
That kind of dismissal runs against the numbers Purdy has stacked up since taking over in 2022. He has completed 67.9% of his passes for 11,685 yards with 84 touchdowns and 37 interceptions.
The criticism tends to circle back to the same place, with people still taking shots at Purdy’s height. But efficiency is the part of his game that keeps showing up, and in the 2026 season he led all quarterbacks in expected points added (EPA) per play on late downs. He finished ahead of Jordan Love, Drake Maye and several other top quarterbacks.
Even so, the online noise hasn’t let up. Purdy’s production hasn’t quieted the loudest doubters, and it may take a Super Bowl run to finally shut them up.
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The move suggests the 49ers are content to keep building around their internal options and a veteran depth piece, rather than chase a high-profile outside addition. For a defense that has long been defined by pressure up front, the message is pretty clear: the plan is to develop what is in-house and trust that the rotation can hold up, even if the bigger-name pursuit is off the table. [Read more 🡒]