Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, holds the George Halas Trophy after winning the ... [+]
Brock Purdy, taken by the San Francisco 49ers with the absolute last pick of the 2022 NFL draft, may have started the season as Mr. Irrelevant. But he’s now one of only two starting quarterbacks who still has a chance to lift the Super Bowl trophy in 2024. The other, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, makes more than $38 million more a season than Purdy, whose $870,000 annual salary is lower than any of the QBs he bested this season, many of them making over $50 million per year. That’s right— over 50 times what Purdy is making for doing the same job and in many instances not as well.
Purdy’s success is why I’ve argued all season for a new way of recognizing quarterbacks’ value and paying them accordingly. Brock Purdy is a winner and it is time for the San Francisco 49ers to pay him. Rip up his contract right now and pay him what he is worth. Full Stop.
A winner rises to the occasion. A winner comes through under pressure. A winner comes from behind against all odds. A winner stumbles but refuses to fall. A winner doesn’t quit under adversity, even when the task at hand seems insurmountable. A winner does whatever it takes to lead his team to victory when all is on the line. And as a quarterback in the NFL, a winner has to be capable of improvising — using your arm, your head, and, when necessary, your legs to find a way to win.
Purdy has done it all this season and, in particular, in the last two games, culminating in the 49ers comeback win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
After being dismissed by many football pundits as merely a game manager, Purdy has established himself as a game changer — and winner. Against the Green Bay Packers in a driving rainstorm, Purdy orchestrated a game winning drive when it mattered most, going 6 for 7 passing with the only incompletion a dropped pass by George Kittle.
But Purdy led an even bigger comeback against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. After the 49ers defense and Purdy had a less than stellar first half, they turned things around in the second half, erasing a seemingly insurmountable 17 point deficit in the third quarter and scoring 34 unanswered points.
While Purdy finished the game with 267 yards passing and a touchdown, in the second half when the game was on the line, he went 13 for 16 for 174 yards and a touchdown, with a passer rating of 132.8. Moreover, he improvised and escaped the pocket on two critical 21-yard runs, eluding numerous Lions defenders on the way to setting up key 49ers’ scores. Purdy is one of the reasons the 49ers are in the Super Bowl.
Winners are often called upon to perform the unexpected on their way to victory— and in this case Purdy did it with his legs. Almost no one expected Purdy to be such a threat to run to gain an advantage. According to Next Gen stats, Purdy converted three first downs on scrambles and completed three of four passes for 41 yards and three first downs on passes when he scrambled outside the pocket.
Case in point, with the 49ers trailing by a touchdown after recovering a Detroit fumble, on second and 11 at the Lion’s 25 yard, line Purdy took off on his first of two key scrambles. He found a hole in the middle of the pocket and streaked 21 yards to the Detroit four-yard line. On third and four from the Detroit 49-yard line with the 49ers leading 27-24, Purdy was nearly sacked. He deftly eluded two Lion then cut back across the field for another 21 yard gain to the Lions 27 yard line.
"It's just amazing because I don't think too many people know how fast and elusive Brock is until he gets to running," Deebo Samuels said. "I think I kind of messed up one of his touchdowns trying to get a lead block, and he ran right into me and bounced off. I feel like if I would have made that block, he probably would have scored."
"Sick," tight end George Kittle said when asked about Purdy's scrambling. "Do it more … just don't get hit. Like, maybe tuck the ball a little faster. He scampers — I think that's the best way to describe it. You ever seen one of those little water dragons running across the water? That's what I envision every time he's running with the football."
To put this in perspective Lamar Jackson, the likely league MVP this year and universally recognized as a great NFL quarterback, just suffered a 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, where he went 20 for 37 passing for 272 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. In the process, he was sacked three times and fumbled once, amounting to a 75.5 rating. Despite this, no one is disputing that Jackson is a franchise quarterback and he is one of the highest paid in the league, averaging over $50 million per year.
The words of super-star running back Christian McCaffrey said it all in describing Purdy: “All he’s done since he’s been here is play at an elite level,” McCaffrey said. “Everything starts with him. We’re lucky he’s our quarterback. He takes a lot of heat for absolutely no reason.”
Purdy is a winner. He has proven himself, but Purdy making $870,000 this year is not right. It’s time for the 49ers to pay him no matter what happens in the Super Bowl.
