Niners’ Kyle Juszczyk doesn’t know what Brock Purdy has to do to get ‘respect I think he truly deserves’
The statistics back up the fullback’s words as they relate to Purdy.
In parts of four NFL seasons since he was selected with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy has gone 30-15 as a starter, completing 67.9% of his passes for 84 touchdowns in 45 starts with 238.5 yards per game. Thrust into the starting role as a rookie late in the season after injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, Purdy quarterbacked an NFC Championship Game run before he suffered an elbow injury.
The 2023 Pro Bowler has five postseason wins under his belt. That’s more than Jared Goff (four), Justin Herbert (none), Lamar Jackson (three), Daniel Jones (one), Trevor Lawrence (one), Jordan Love (one), Baker Mayfield (two) and Kyler Murray (none) – all first-round picks with longer league tenures than Purdy.
Still, many will point to Purdy’s success being a product of Kyle Shanahan’s offense and having standout skill players surrounding him. He’s also had his share of hazardous outings in which he piles up the interceptions.
Nonetheless, Purdy at his best has played MVP-caliber ball. Such was the case in 2025 when he weathered the storm of injuries and threw for 11 touchdowns from Week 15-17, producing 295-plus yards in each game. However, he struggled in a winner-takes-the-No. 1-seed finale when the 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 13-3. He did so again in the NFC Championship Game against Seattle.
No matter the naysayers, Purdy is able to lock in, according to his career-long teammate.
“I’m sure, just as a human, there’s that tiny, tiny sliver,” Juszczyk said of whether the criticism gets to the QB. “But Brock does such an incredible job of blocking out the noise.”
With Purdy’s feel-good story of having become the most successful Mr. Irrelevant in NFL history, Juszczyk believes his QB might also be subjected to a negative narrative based on his draft status, regardless of his statistical and team success.
“I don’t know what it is,” Juszczyk said. “I don’t know if it’s just the fact that he’s not a first-round draft pick. Like, if that is just gonna be the story for his entire career and be kinda held against him? Maybe. But, I love the guy, as a person, as my quarterback, as a football player. He is the dude.”
Perhaps most importantly, Purdy is the dude Juszczyk and their teammates want leading them on Sundays.
“I want the most competitive person in the world as my quarterback,” he said, “and I think that’s exactly what we got in Brock.”
