Where 49ers QB Brock Purdy Ranks Among NFL Players 25 and Younger

Brock Purdy is one of the best young players in the NFL.

At just 25 years old, he already has gone to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. And while he had a down season last year, the 49ers just gave him a five-year, $265 million extension, so he's their franchise quarterback.

Still, his stock took a bit of a hit the past 12 months. Last year, he was CBS Sports' 10th-best player 25 or younger. This year, he ranks 14th.

"Did he finally stumble under the weight of a battered 49ers supporting cast in 2024? Yes," writes CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin. "Does that fully erase the poise, play-extending shiftiness and highly efficient point-guarding that made him Kyle Shanahan's best Super Bowl-caliber starter to date? Not in our eyes. Purdy's vision and composure are still borderline elite."

It's interesting that most people view 2024 as a one-off for Purdy and assume he'll bounce back to the player he was in 2023. But in each of his three seasons in the NFL, his interception percentage has gone up and his touchdown percentage has gone down. Meanwhile, he got injured twice last season and has a surgically-repaired throwing elbow. So it's unclear how bright his future truly is.

If Purdy has another inconsistent season, it will be interesting to see how the perception of him changes now that he's the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL. Critics might not be so patient and understanding with him this season.