Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy feels more confident heading into his third year.
Following a sensational season in which he led the Niners to within a score of winning the Super Bowl in his first full year starting, Purdy acknowledges everything feels a lot more "smooth and natural" after going through a full offseason healthy. Purdy was recovering from a torn UCL entering the 2023 season.
"Yeah, just the relationships that we've all been able to build on, the last two years going into year three, we're just around each other all the time in the locker room, lifting, on the practice field, we just know each other very well," says Purdy in a one-on-one interview with RG on behalf of his partnership with Applebee's. "Every time I step in the huddle, it's like I've been there with my brothers and I can be real with them and hold them accountable and they can hold me accountable.
The chemistry that we all have, how we get in and out of the huddle and run our plays, everything just feels a lot more smooth and natural."
All things considered, Purdy had a superb season despite suffering a serious injury during the NFC Championship Game at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Despite spending the beginning of last offseason recovering from the injury, Purdy returned in time for training camp and ended up starting 16 of the 17 games during the regular season. The 24-year-old ended up leading the NFL in passer rating, yards per attempt and yards per pass completion. He also broke the Niners' 23-year franchise record for single-season passing yards.
Despite all of that individual and team success through his first two seasons, there are still detractors who don't believe Purdy is an elite quarterback. The media has shaped a narrative that Purdy's success is largely due to the talent surrounding him rather than because of his own skill level. In a poll among general managers, coaches, and executives, Purdy was voted the 10th-best QB in the NFL. That's despite the fact that Purdy actually finished fourth in MVP voting.
Although the media spends a lot of time chirping about Purdy, the Pro Bowl quarterback says he doesn't pay much attention to what they say.
"I don't pay too much attention to it. For me, it's been about my teammates and the people within this building, within this organization. They see me prepare, they see me go about my business here every day. We're the people that are going to war together. What matters most is the guys that I'm stepping out on the field with and having their respect and their trust, because we're the ones that are winning games together.
"As long as we're winning games, that's all that matters. Not trying to please the whole world and the media and trying to be this perfect person that they expect me to be. If that's the case, then it would just be draining and exhausting. That's what matters most — earning the trust and respect of the people within this building. That's all that matters."
And while Purdy is obviously already one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, he continues to look for ways to get better. He says he worked on two specific things in the offseason — his mobility and his mental game.
Considering Purdy is still very much developing as he enters just his third season in the NFL, he outlines the biggest thing he's learned since entering the league — keeping things simple.
"Everything matters, the detail," explains Purdy. "Everyone's so good, we're playing the best of the best every Sunday. Finding ways to keep it simple at the end of the day. I think when I first got to the NFL it was, 'Man, the guy on the other side of the ball is Jalen Ramsey or Aaron Donald.' There's these big talented guys that you've heard of while growing up. At the end of the day, it's football and I have to make the right decision with the ball in my hands, every down, every play, be consistent and keep it simple. I feel like if I can have that state of mind and that chip on my shoulder every game, then everything takes care of itself. But the minute I start overthinking it and think more about who they are and what they do, then I feel like that can consume me and sort of handcuff me mentally."
Purdy will look to keep things "simple" when his Niners host the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets in Week 1 in the Monday Night Football opener.
DJ Siddiqi
