'Tom Brady plus a thousand' - why Purdy deserves moment in NFL spotlight

How about a little NFL quiz? Who is the highest-rated quarterback in NFL history?

You might think it's Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, what about the great Dan Marino, or John Elway? Joe Montana won four Super Bowls, never lost a Super Bowl, surely it's Joe Montana, or what about the GOAT, Tom Brady?

The answer would be no to all of those players, legends though they are.

The highest-rated quarterback in NFL history is Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers. During Monday's victory over the Washington Commanders, he took his career passer rating to 105.6, above every other legend ever to have played the game.

More importantly, Purdy took the 49ers to a 6-0 start and they are in control of the NFC West. How does this happen with a man who was picked last in the 2022 NFL Draft? Mr Irrelevant, overlooked by every NFL team time and time again.

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It's Tom Brady plus a thousand in terms of being overlooked and disrespected and, like Brady, Purdy has responded brilliantly in the pros.

I still don't think he gets the respect he deserves because of that label that was attached to him as a low-round draft pick but he's already taken this team to an NFC Championship game, he's taken this team to a Super Bowl and now here he is playing excellent football at the start of the 2026 season.

I've had the opportunity to interview Purdy now three or four times and he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. He's so friendly, so down to earth.

One occasion we interviewed in training camp in San Francisco and they were doing some work on the stadium and every time he answered a question a guy in the background started drilling and that was absolutely nothing to do with Brock Purdy. And yet he apologised profusely and said that he couldn't feel worse.

We met and chatted at the Super Bowl and that's where I found out that the nice guy has a steel running through him. Purdy made note of the fact that he was mocked and ridiculed for being Mr Irrelevant.

Yes he played along with all of the necessary events that go with that position but he kind of kept receipts and he went into that Super Bowl hoping those people who mocked him were going to be sitting in the stands that day as he almost led the 49ers to victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, he would have been a Super Bowl champion had the NFL not changed its overtime rules.

Purdy is a supercomputer at the quarterback position. He processes quickly, he's accurate and he doesn't need to have an absolute cannon for an arm. Yes he's helped out by Kyle Shanahan with excellent play calling but so was Joe Montana with Bill Walsh, Dan Marino with Don Shula, Jim Kelly with Marv Levy.

All great quarterbacks have a head coach in their corner. It helps this season that Purdy's only been sacked twice and he's already completed 70 per cent of his passes, 14 touchdowns to just two interceptions.

He is unassuming but ruthless and I think the way he spreads the ball around in San Francisco's attack is not only critical to his success so far, I think it's going to really guide this team moving forward.

I'll tell you one last thing on Brock Purdy which I noticed when I watched him in the flesh in Pittsburgh in Week One of the 2023 season. He scrambled off the spot and threw a touchdown pass into the front corner of the end zone, which showed great athleticism. If that had been Steve Young back in the 1990s we would have been lauding that play at every possible opportunity.

Again we don't see Purdy as an athlete but he is. Look at a big touchdown run he had a couple of weeks ago which got called back for a George Kittle holding penalty. Purdy can score from anywhere on the field with his arm, thanks to his brain, but also he can use his legs.

This player who was the last picked in the 2022 NFL Draft is now one of the best in the NFL and he deserves his moment in the spotlight as the highest rated quarterback this league has ever seen.

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