One-time MVP addresses how 49ers' Brock Purdy is underrated

Discussions about whether or not San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is overrated or underrated existed long before the club signed him to a five-year, $265M contract extension that included $181M in guarantees and a no-trade clause earlier this offseason. 

Retired quarterback, one-time regular-season Most Valuable Player and current NFL analyst Matt Ryan discussed Purdy's traits during a recent chat with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

"I think his ability to throw the football over the middle of the field, that’s huge for them and fits within the scheme and what they do," Ryan said about why Purdy is an ideal quarterback for the offense run by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. "He’s a really good athlete; I think underrated, in terms of mobility, but also accuracy on the run. ...I think the unknown with Brock early on was, 'Is he going to be able to make good decisions? Is he going to be poised in two-minute situations and critical third downs?' And he’s shown to be that in a short career." 

The final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy started in back-to-back NFC Championship Games in his first two seasons before he led the 49ers to within a fourth-down stop of winning the Super Bowl in February 2024. Despite those accomplishments and the fact that he emerged as a finalist for the 2023 MVP Award, some analysts repeatedly referred to Purdy as a "game manager" before he was unable to help San Francisco overcome a noteworthy injury crisis as the club fell from 5-4 to 6-11 last season. 

Per Pro Football Reference stats, Purdy ended the 2024 campaign ranked seventh among qualified passers with a 67.9 adjusted QBR and fifth with an average of 257.6 passing yards per game. Over 15 contests, he tallied 20 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. 

Regardless of what outsiders have said and written about Purdy over the years, it's clear that Shanahan and 49ers general manager John Lynch decided before the end of this past season that they wanted to lock the 25-year-old down via a multi-year deal. According to Ryan, Purdy should now realize he doesn't have to show with his play that he deserves to be one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.

"They made a commitment to who you are," Ryan added during his comments about Purdy. "And certainly, there’s potential to grow. But [don’t] try to do too much -- that’s where guys can fall into a trap. For me, it’s really about playing within the scheme and reading plays out one play at a time and just making good decisions over and over."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 49ers tied for fourth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Purdy and Co. could make a statement about how they'll bounce back from a disappointing season when they open the upcoming campaign at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 7.