49ers QB Brock Purdy: A 'borderline star' in CBS Sports rankings

CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin has released his NFL quarterback rankings ahead of the 2025 season, organizing the league's signal-callers into six tiers: transcendent talents, borderline stars, promising prospects, volatile veterans, prized projects, and holdovers and placeholders. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy landed in the second tier—borderline stars.

Other quarterbacks ranked alongside Purdy in the borderline star tier include Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, and others.

Purdy took the league by storm during his rookie season in 2022, leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game before suffering a significant elbow injury. He bounced back in 2023 to guide San Francisco all the way to the Super Bowl, narrowly falling short of a title.

Expectations were sky-high entering the 2024 season. However, an injury-riddled roster and subpar defensive performance resulted in a disappointing 6-11 finish and a last-place finish in the NFC West.

"The physical fragility of the San Francisco 49ers finally got to Purdy in Year 3, when his struggles playing from behind were clearer than ever," Benjamin explained. "Still, this kid is a Kyle Shanahan favorite for good reason. He's a wily and underrated play-extender, he isn't afraid to let it fly, and his collectedness took him to the biggest stage before."

This offseason, the 49ers underwent a significant roster overhaul, clearing cap space and reshaping the roster in anticipation of Purdy's next deal. In May, the team officially made him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, locking him in as the franchise's long-term centerpiece.

With questions swirling about his ability to carry a team through adversity—as he failed to do last season—the spotlight will be on Purdy in 2025. He'll need a strong bounce-back campaign to justify his record-setting payday and silence lingering doubts about his ceiling and ranking among NFL passers.