Former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy has his share of believers and detractors. Still, it seems those closest to him are his biggest believers. Recently, his future Hall of Fame left tackle gave him a ringing endorsement following his $265 million contract extension. Even the legendary Joe Montana has sung his praises.
It seems much of the NFL landscape is still learning what it is that the San Francisco 49ers see in their former Mr. Irrelevant pick, even now heading into his fourth season with two trips to the NFC Championship and one to the Super Bowl on his resume.
A former defensive teammate of his, Arik Armstead, a defensive lineman who is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, asked Purdy’s receivers what it is about the small-time quarterback that makes him successful, where Jimmy Garoppolo underwhelmed and former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance failed.
“I’ll tell you this. I talked to a lot of the receivers at the time, [Brandon] Aiyuk, Deebo [Samuel]. Like, what’s the difference, because I felt like in 2023 that was the best offense we’ve had during my entire tenure of that time,” Armstead said recently on First Thing’s First. “When I talked to the receivers, the major difference on how Brock changed our team was the receivers felt like they could get the ball on any play. It switched from “OK I’m out of the progression, I’m just doing a run off route” to “I better run my best route regardless of the play because Purdy may just throw it to me and I feel like I’m better than the DB covering me and he gives me the opportunity” and the receivers love that and you can see how our offense took off that year.”
Armstead didn’t dismiss the impact of 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, but it’s nonetheless impressive praise for the former defender who spent nine seasons in San Francisco, appearing in two Super Bowls and two more NFC Championship games.
Still, his point about it being one of the best offenses during his near-decade tenure is grounded by the statistics. The Niners were second in the league in yardage, the best mark the franchise has posted since it was first in 1998. They also ranked third in points, which was the best since ranking second in 2019, the other Super Bowl runner-up season of the Kyle Shanahan era.
READ MORE: 49ers' Brock Purdy Reveals Wild Thing He'd Do for a Super Bowl
It’s not too different from the success Purdy had at Iowa State. In 2019, the Cyclones ranked 5th in the Big 12 for total offense. They jumped to third in the league in 2020 and fourth in 2021. After Purdy moved on to the NFL, Iowa State had the worst offense in the conference. The Cyclones haven’t finished higher than ninth since.
Purdy still has plenty to prove after a down season in 2024, but with a new contract in hand and the clear support of those who do and have played with him in San Francisco, it’s apparent that the legend of the former No. 262 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft will only continue to grow.
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