As Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers work toward a contract extension that will make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, there are analysts on both ends of the spectrum. Some say he's not worth a contract worth $50 million or more per year, and others see him as more than a product of Kyle Shanahan's system.
As with any argument of that nature, both sides can find evidence to support their claim. On the positive side for Purdy (and his agent), CBS Sports fantasy football analyst Jacob Gibbs had these notes this week in an edition of the Fantasy Football Today newsletter.
"Guess how many quarterbacks saw a lower percentage of their passing yards come after the catch than Purdy in 2024. Four. Out of 31 qualifiers, Purdy ranked 27th. Only 42.7% of his yards came after the catch. He was pressured at the 10th highest rate. Only 17% of his pressures resulted in a sack, the sixth-lowest rate."
Analyst launches himself to the driver's seat of the Brock Purdy bandwagon
On Friday's edition of "Breakfast Ball" on FS1, during a segment named for him ("Mark It Down", former NFL offensive lineman and Fox NFL analyst Mark Schlereth made a bold prediction for Purdy in 2025.
"Brock Purdy proves he's a top-five quarterback. Mark it down," Schlereth said. "Brock Purdy, when you look at Brock Purdy, one, from the neck up, decision-making. He gets through progressions like none other."
Schlereth jokingly said "I don't even know what that (yards per attempt) means" when noting how Purdy is first in the league in yards per pass attempt since his first NFL start, but "that means it's good, nerds love that stuff". Purdy is also top-five in the league in passer rating (second), passing yards (third) and completion percentage (fifth) since his first start,
"I mean, he is unbelievable," Schlereth continued. "And everybody just wants to point to the fact that, 'oh, they have so many weapons, they're so good'. He proves that it's a lot about Brock Purdy and not as much about all the weapons around him, because they got rid of guys, they got rid of Deebo (Samuel), they've got guys that are coming off of injury. Brock Purdy proves that he's a top quarterback."
Check out the entire Purdy clip below, including co-host Craig Carton mostly agreeing with Schlereth's assessment.
.@markschlereth predicts Brock Purdy will become a top 5 QB next season:
"Everyone wants to point to the fact that they have all these weapons... he proves it's a lot about Brock Purdy, and not as much about all the weapons around him." 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/OQdiuVoO5G
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) May 9, 2025
If he wasn't there already, Schlereth has jumped on the Purdy bandwagon. Actually, maybe he's the driver of the bandwagon now.
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