Sometime in the future, there may be a movie released called "Mr. Irrelevant: The Brock Purdy Story." The San Francisco 49ers quarterback can craft a compelling ending for the film in the coming weeks by leading his team to a Super Bowl victory in only his second NFL season.
Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young believes it would be a great film and that fans are witnessing something special this season. The entire Bay Area is energized as the 49ers prepare for their playoff run after securing the NFC's top seed and home-field advantage. Purdy, who started last season buried on the depth chart, is a big reason for the team's success.
Purdy recently joined Young as one of only three 49ers quarterbacks to ever throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season. The other, Jeff Garcia, held the franchise record for the most passing yards in a single season until Purdy broke that record against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The young quarterback has fans eager to see what comes next in the movie-worthy storyline.
"The Bay Area is completely energized, like it hasn't been for a long time, about this team, these guys, including Brock, and just the excitement that it brings," Young said Wednesday on Bay Area radio station KNBR's "Tolbert and Copes" show. "So this season that he's had ... absolutely an incredible season, and incredible efficiency.
"And really, I got to, again, tip my cap to [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], that's built a system that can be so incredibly efficient."
Purdy has thrown for 4,280 yards with 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while achieving an NFL-leading 113.0 passer rating. The quarterback with the next-highest passer rating is Dak Prescott, who is at 104.2.
Purdy has been impressing Young all season. The Hall of Famer admires the second-year quarterback's ability to get the ball out of his hands quickly, throw with anticipation, and his processing power.
"You have to be great at it in this league, but he is, like, elite," Young shared. "And that ball is out, and it's out early. ... The job of quarterback, the job of getting in the huddle, calling the play and then running the play, getting the most out of that play, figuring out how to get the ball out of your hands and make a gain, and to be nine of 10, or 18 of 20, and all of a sudden that just opens up so much more of the offense.
"And I've always said, for Patrick Mahomes, or Josh Allen, or those guys that have all these incredible Superman capabilities, the job that they really need to focus on is the job that we're talking about what Brock is thriving at."
Purdy's efficiency has resulted in a record-breaking 2023 campaign for the 49ers offense. This season's unit made NFL history as the first team to have a running back (Christian McCaffrey at 2,023), two wide receivers (Brandon Aiyuk at 1,317 and Deebo Samuel at 1,085), and a tight end (George Kittle at 1,022) each amass 1,000 or more scrimmage yards in a single season.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.
