NFL Legend Validates Brock Purdy’s Growth as 49ers Franchise Leader

Everyone seems to have an opinion on former Iowa State Cyclone Brock Purdy. Polarizing conversation should be the expected norm for the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant. Thankfully, calmer and much more prominent voices can often shed some light on how Purdy’s NFL career is really shaping up.

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Joe Montana, recently gave his thoughts on his former team’s budding young star to the Bay Area News Group, endorsing the former Iowa State signal caller.

“He plays within himself,” Montana said. “Usually, you see in the second year — which he didn’t really do much — is try so much to be better and, ‘Oh, I can do this now.’ You see a lot of that from the first-year wonders, and you think, what are they going to do next year, and they think they can do everything. He played within himself and did what he’s supposed to.”

Of course, Montana’s remarks might lean into the system quarterback trope that Purdy gets saddled with. After all, it’s something that often befalls many quarterbacks who succeed in a Shanahan-style offense. 

But the original GOAT quarterback has a point. San Francisco as a whole had a down year, not just Purdy. The team faced significant injuries and roster turnover as they limped to a 6-11 record after winning the NFC West in each of Purdy’s first two full seasons as the starter in San Francisco.

Despite the dropoff from a stellar second season statistically, Purdy was rewarded with a five-year, $265 million contract extension. Montana indicated that San Francisco was right to lock Purdy in as the long-term starter, though not without paying some respect to the hesitation some fans might feel about giving Purdy such a lucrative contract.

“Yeah, well, they have to. I mean, it’s not like he hasn’t done the job,” Montana said “He’s been fairly consistent. He had a lot of injuries. Those are all tough to deal with.”

Purdy still has some work to do to develop into one of the league’s unquestioned top quarterbacks, but he did start from ground zero and has achieved much more than many of the quarterbacks who have been drafted much higher over the past several years. He has more playoff victories than Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, and Dak Prescott, just to name a few.