San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has achieved remarkable success in just three NFL seasons—reaching two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance in his first two years as a starter.
Yet despite the accomplishments, Purdy continues to face a persistent narrative—that his success stems from head coach Kyle Shanahan's quarterback-friendly system and the wealth of talent around him. That perception only intensified in May when the 49ers signed him to a five-year, $265 million contract extension, making him one of the NFL's highest-paid players.
"I've always felt this underdog kind of story," Purdy told Richard Sherman in a recent interview. "And that's been my story, from high school, college, to the NFL. But for me, every single year, all that matters is if I'm leading these guys in this locker room, in this building, in this organization, and they trust me here—that's all that matters.
"And we've been able to go and show and prove that what we do here, what I do as a quarterback, works. And we've won games, we've been to a Super Bowl—it's worked. As long as I just continue to focus on where God has me, and learning with Kyle, and [quarterbacks coach Mick] Lombardi, all my teammates, and keep having their trust and gaining their trust, that's all that matters."
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When it comes to critics, Purdy has learned to tune out the noise, keeping his attention on improving on the football field.
"Everybody's going to have something to say," Purdy said. "That's the nature of the sport, and that's fine, but I don't buy into or listen [to it]. If I were to listen to criticism and everything, I wouldn't be where I'm at today.
"I've had the chip on my shoulder, and I go prove myself every single year. And so, that's just where I'm at."
Purdy remains focused on proving that he's more than just a product of the 49ers' system, and that he's a quarterback capable of leading the team to a championship and sustained success.
"That fire that I came into my rookie year with that chip on my shoulder [as Mr. Irrelevant], trying to show those guys on the field, my teammates, the defense, like, 'Hey, I'm made for this,'" Purdy shared. "And just reminding yourself of that, and every single year.
"And for me, I'm a faithful man. I believe that God created me to be a competitor, to be a leader. And just because we got to the Super Bowl, I got a contract, that doesn't mean [anything]. For me, it's the next season. It's how can I go lead these boys today for this practice, for this game coming up, this season?
"There's this drive of, I've still got to go show and use my talents that God's blessed me with, to go show him, my teammates that I'm this competitor that you can rely on. So, it's pushing myself every single day. It's not being content. It's being comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's always this uneasy feeling that I can get better."