Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead recently spoke about how quarterback Brock Purdy transformed the team's offense in 2023.
In so doing, he showed how Purdy was an upgrade over the Niners' previous starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.
Armstead appeared on the FS1 show, First Things First, and he talked about his tenure with the San Francisco.
His answers when asked about Purdy were very interesting and can be seen below:
Arik Armstead on how Brock Purdy changed the 49ers offense once he became QB1:
“I’ll tell you this. I talked to a lot of the receivers at the time, Aiyuk, Deebo. Like what’s the difference because I felt like in 2023 that was the best offense we’ve had during my entire tenure of… pic.twitter.com/hskce4Odjp
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) July 4, 2025
Essentially, Armstead said that with Purdy under center he opened up the team's offense in 2023 with his willingness to trust his receivers. Armstead said that receivers like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk told him that Purdy was willing to get the ball to them downfield if he felt that they were better than whoever was guarding them, which was different from what they had in past seasons.
While Armstead did not bring up Garoppolo in his answer, he implicitly acknowledged why Purdy was such an upgrade over the former. While Jimmy G had his strengths and led the 49ers to several successful seasons, he was often unwilling or unable to air it out and make off-schedule plays the way Purdy does.
Armstead was not in any way taking a direct shot at Garoppolo with his remarks. He is on the record saying he has nothing but love for Jimmy G and has even called him a phenomenal quarterback. Yet, one cannot help but read between the lines and see what his comments reveal about how Purdy truly is superior to Garoppolo.
Purdy's ability to improvise and make those off-schedule plays downfield has caught the attention of analysts and runs directly counter to the narrative that he is nothing more than a "system quarterback" or a "checkdown merchant."
While Armstead is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and struggled a little bit in 2024, it is clear he still has love for the Niners despite the fact that the team released him after he refused a pay cut. He was an integral part of those teams that came so close to winning a Super Bowl, so he will always have a special place in the hearts of 49ers fans.
His insight on what Purdy brought to the table that Garoppolo did not is consistent with what we have seen from Purdy with our own eyes and should only make 49ers fans happy that the team found its franchise quarterback in No. 13.
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