Steve Young, known for his scrambling in his prime, sees similarities in Brock Purdy and advises Kyle Shanahan to give Purdy more freedom to make plays with his feet.
Brock Purdy (Image via IMAGO)
Despite the early season turmoil, the San Francisco 49ers are 4-4, joint top of the NFC West. Their lackluster performance is primarily down to quarterback Brock Purdy not firing on all cylinders.
Purdy has had to operate without some of his best weapons in the offense. Brandon Aiyuk, who signed a lucrative deal before Week 1 football, is out for the rest of the year through injury, with Deebo Samuel being on and off the roster. Purdy fended off other teams with players with rookie reinforcements, first-round selection Ricky Pearsall, and fourth-round selection Jacob Cowing.
Instead of connecting with 2023 No. 1 offensive player Christian McCaffrey—on the sidelines because of the RB’s ACL complications—Purdy relied more on undrafted rushers Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo. It only surfaced his weaknesses, throwing seven interceptions (three in the loss against the Kansas City Chiefs).
However, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young pointed out one area that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan must explore more about Purdy. Young highlighted Purdy’s offseason muscle gain, not just in his arms but his legs as well.
The underlying fact about the 24-year-old is using his feet. He may not look like it, but Purdy gets it done on the ground when called upon.
[The Super Bowl], we almost won it all from a retail place, and to me, that’s super hard. That’s why it’s not a prototype anymore, but we almost did it. Talent and then execution and efficiency, Brock’s amazing talent and efficiency, and that’s the retail game.
"In the Super Bowl, we almost won it all from a retail (X's and O's) place, and for me that's super hard."
Steve Young believes Brock Purdy needs to use his legs and go wholesale (beyond the X's and O's) more for the 49ers to get over the hump and win it all. pic.twitter.com/fOPEUMPwE7
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 31, 2024
Purdy has covered more yards on the ground in the first eight games than all of last year. 42 attempts for 210 yards and three scores suggest he likes to take matters into his own hands.
Should the 49ers move on from Brock Purdy?
Purdy currently earns around $985,000 a season, courtesy of his rookie contract. In comparison, the highest-earning quarterback, Cowboys Dak Prescott, earns the same amount in approximately one-quarter of football. Purdy remains unbeaten against Prescott in three games.
2024 Cash Earnings
Dak Prescott: $86,250,000
Brock Purdy: $985,000— Spotrac (@spotrac) October 28, 2024
The Iowa graduate is eligible to make the unprecedented jump in salary after the 2024 season ends. Spotrac revealed that he can earn up to $60 million annually from his new contract. General Manager John Lynch remains tight-lipped about any extension, creating a dark cloud about whether the 49ers want to go through with it or not.
Many analysts believe that the 49ers will not extend Purdy and let him choose his next destination while they draft a new quarterback next year. However, it’s only a speculation, and circumstances change depending on the end product.
The 49ers under Purdy usually have a better second half. Purdy has posted a 16-2 record from Week 9 to the end of the regular season. It includes an NFC title and playing in the Super Bowl. Purdy went off last year completing 70.5% of his passes for 2,247 yards, with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions for a league-leading 120.8 passer rating.
