49ers' Brock Purdy sends message to doubters as latest power rankings snub drops

For an article published on Monday, Mike Sando of The Athletic revealed that a panel of six general managers, six assistant general managers, six former general managers, five other executives, eight head coaches and 19 other coaches ranked Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers as the 14th-best signal-caller in the NFL and as the lowest "Tier 2" quarterback who "can carry his team sometimes but not as consistently." 

Interestingly, Purdy sent a message to doubters and critics during the latest edition of "The Richard Sherman Podcast," which also dropped on Monday. 

"Everybody's going to have something to say," Purdy explained, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. "That's the nature of the sport, and that's fine, but I don't buy into or listen [to it]. If I were to listen to criticism and everything, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. I've had the chip on my shoulder, and I go prove myself every single year. And so, that's just where I'm at."

Not long after the 49ers signed Purdy to a five-year, $265M contract extension that included $181M in guarantees and a no-trade clause, it was learned that league executives, coaches and scouts surveyed by ESPN did not rank the 25-year-old as a top-10 quarterback for the 2025 season. 

Such rankings arose after Purdy, tight end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey, left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk missed time due to injuries last season as the Niners fell from 5-4 to 6-11.

That said, Purdy is a one-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Award finalist who guided his club to within one play of winning the Super Bowl back in February 2024. Some, nevertheless, feel the 49ers overpaid to lock the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft down this past spring. 

It sounds like Purdy is using such takes as motivation this summer.

"That fire that I came into my rookie year with that chip on my shoulder [as 'Mr. Irrelevant'], trying to show those guys on the field, my teammates, the defense, like, 'Hey, I'm made for this,'" Purdy added during the interview. "And just reminding yourself of that, and every single year. And for me, I'm a faithful man. I believe that God created me to be a competitor, to be a leader. And just because we got to the Super Bowl, I got a contract, that doesn't mean [anything]. For me, it's the next season. ...It's pushing myself every single day. It's not being content. It's being comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's always this uneasy feeling that I can get better."

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 49ers tied for third among the betting favorites (with the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers) at +950 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Purdy and Co. will look to put all that went wrong for the 49ers last fall behind them when they open the upcoming season with a matchup at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 7.