Shannon Sharpe has weighed in on the ongoing debate over Brock Purdy's status as an elite quarterback. During a segment on ESPN's "First Take," the former NFL tight end was asked if Purdy is truly an elite quarterback or simply the beneficiary of the system he plays in.
"No, he's not an elite quarterback," Sharpe responded. "He's a product of the system. It's more credit to [head coach] Kyle Shanahan and what he's done."
Sharpe isn't the first to categorize Purdy as a system quarterback. ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently sparked backlash for stating that New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones would have Purdy-like production in the 49ers offense, implying that Purdy is a system quarterback.
Orlovsky went on to clarify that no disrespect toward Purdy was meant.
"What I was trying to convey is, in more support of Mac Jones than trying to take any form of a shot on Brock Purdy," Orlovsky shared during a radio interview. "... I'm a Brock Purdy backer. I think, since the first time we saw him, I think it was against the Dolphins, I've been Team Brock Purdy. I think he's a really good player."
Sharpe sounded less complimentary towards the 49ers quarterback, believing Purdy would be exposed if he didn't have weapons like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle around him.
"He's a product of the system," Sharpe said. "Now, that's not to take away from what he's doing. It's okay for him to be in the MVP discussion and not be [Chiefs QB] Patrick Mahomes or not be [Dolphins QB] Tua [Tagovailoa], or not be an elite quarterback. He still has to go out there and operate. He just doesn't have to do as much as, say, those other guys."
Sharpe added, "In this system, the ability to run the football with Christian McCaffrey and all the weapons, because all he has to do is just not turn it over, get it in Aiyuk's hands, get it in Deebo's hands, get it in Kittle's hands, and let them do the work. But no, he's not elite. [By] no stretch of the imagination is he elite."
.@ShannonSharpe says Brock Purdy is NOT an elite QB 😯
"No, he's not an elite quarterback. He's a product of the system." pic.twitter.com/AmuHJuPTJo
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 13, 2023
Chris Canty argues that he needs to see a larger body of work before he can definitively label Purdy as elite, saying, "But I'll say this, it's trending in the right direction."
Ryan Clark, on the other hand, firmly believes that Purdy belongs in the upper echelon of current NFL quarterbacks.
"Doing what he does, where he does it, with the people he does it with, he's a top-five quarterback," Clark stated. "Not only is he a top-five quarterback, he's a top-two MVP candidate. Brock Purdy is elite. When I'm watching that game Sunday night, I finally stopped fighting it, and I said, 'You know what, it doesn't matter where he comes from. It doesn't matter how he got there. It doesn't matter who surrounds him. Brock Purdy is an elite quarterback.'
Clark added, "Brock Purdy, for all of his measurable deficiencies and athletic deficiencies, and maybe if he was playing in New York, the Jets would still suck, but in San Francisco, he is the one. And right now, Brock Purdy is probably going to be—or have a chance to be—your MVP and your Super Bowl champion. And if that don't make you elite, then nothing else does."
On Thursday, Purdy was asked about his awareness of discussions regarding his standing in quarterback rankings.
"I couldn't care less," Purdy responded. "It's all about the Browns this week."
