Brock Purdy, the 49ers quarterback known as Mr. Irrelevant, has heard it all at this point.
This one might be new.
Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, who played for 17 seasons and still hangs around the game as an NFL analyst, sees qualities in the 49ers quarterback comparable to the man who most consider the greatest signal-caller to ever play the game.
“Really, I think the most impressive part [of Purdy] is his ability emotionally never to get too high, never to get too low,” Gonzalez said to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan in an interview at Super Bowl LVII Radio Row in Phoenix.
“Reminds me of a great quarterback, someone like Tom Brady. That personality style where it’s like, ‘Hey, next game up. Yeah, we had a big win but we’ve got to go out there and play.' The moment is never too big, and it’s never too bad either, no matter the situation.”
It’s preposterous to compare the two actual careers of Purdy and Brady, but the two quarterbacks do share similarities in how their NFL journeys began.
Brady was a sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2000 after spending four seasons at Michigan. In his second NFL campaign, Brady took over the Patriots’ starting quarterback role after Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury in Week 2. He led New England all the way to a victory in Super Bowl XXXVI.
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Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft after four years at Iowa State, landed the 49ers’ starting gig after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo both sustained season-ending injuries. He improbably led the 49ers to eight straight victories and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game, displaying a surprising poise that Gonzalez noticed and 49ers teammates lauded.
The two crossed paths in Purdy’s first career start -- a 35-7 blowout victory for San Francisco over Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Purdy accounted for three total touchdowns in that game and became the first quarterback to defeat Brady in a debut start.
“It’s uncanny. It just doesn’t happen," Gonzalez told Chan. "That hidden gem -- being Mr. Irrelevant, that last pick in the draft, to come in and have the composure that he had and the ability to throw the ball."
“It’s been talked about -- him being a four-year starter [at Iowa State] and having the success while not really having those great receivers that you have at Alabama, you have at these big programs. Where it’s like no, the guy is not open by three or four yards. You’ve got to fit that ball in a tight window. That’s what the NFL is. Everybody is great at this level.”
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Purdy will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right throwing elbow on Feb. 22. His recovery is expected to take six months, slotting a potential return to the field before training camp begins in August.
Unless the 49ers make an unforeseen drastic move at quarterback this offseason, Purdy is set for an old-fashioned battle with Lance for the starting role, one that he appears more than capable of handling.
“I’m really anxious to see what they do at that position going into next year,” Gonzalez told Chan.
The 49ers Faithful agree.