Brock Purdy finished the 2025-2026 NFL season with 2,167 yards and 20 TD’s, with a passing completion percentage of 69.4%. He also rushed for 147 yards with 3 rushing TD’s. All of this while playing on nine of seventeen games in the regular season. The 49ers season ended with a brutal loss to the Super Bowl champions, and many question the true skill and abilities that the 49ers have in Brock Purdy. Mac Jones, the 49ers backup QB, played in 11 games this year, and earned the support and trust from many 49ers fans around the world. At a specific point in the season, controversy on who is the better QB was at large, with many claiming Mac Jones was a better QB than Purdy. When Purdy eventually returned from his toes injury, the 49ers placed him back in the starting role. Purdy had a strong finish to the season, and played relatively well in every game except for the ones against the Seahawks. Purdy even had a 3 game streak of 5 plus TD’s. As the season progressed, the QB controversy died down, but now that the 49ers are out, the offseason will surely start to stir the pot again. A defining question throughout the career of Brock Purdy is whether or not he is a system QB. To answer this question, we must look at the whole career of Brock Purdy.
The 49ers decided to pay Brock Purdy in the offseason while he was still under contract which may come back to bite the 49ers. ESPN reported that In Purdy’s last 17 games he has thrown a total of 16 picks, a stunning stat that many fans tend to look over. In 2022 and 2023, Brock Purdy was arguably the best QB in the league, teams could not figure him out and he was making plays with his arm and his legs. In his last two seasons, Brock has been more average and has been battling his own injuries as well as his playmakers injuries as well. The primary reason for Purdy’s recent struggles has been a loss of his superstars that help make him play the the best of his ability. In 2022 and 2023, Brock Purdy could pass the ball around to elite playmakers, such as Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. When Brock had all these weapons in the lineup, he played like a top ten, maybe even top five quarterback in the NFL. However in the last two seasons, many of these stars were absent due to injuries, causing the 49ers to become a bottom team in the NFL as well as Bock Purdy having his worse season so far.
Another hypothetical reason for Purdy’s recent struggles has been the talent of his O-Line. Of course, Purdy’s blindside is protected well with all-pro Trent Williams, and the 49ers RG, Dominick Puni help protect the big d-lineman trying to bring Purdy down. Other than that the 49ers have 3 struggling O-line positions that have definitely helped create recent struggles for Purdy. The 49ers center, Jake Brendal, is arguably the worst center in the league, and the 49ers LG position is switched between Ben Bartch and Connor Colby, a injury prone veteran and a first year rookie. Finally the 49ers RG, Colton McKivitz, has not been good as of late, despite receiving a new contract. A stat from ESPN shows how Purdy scrambled 39 times in the 2023 season where he led to the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and scrambled 66 times during their 6-11 2024 season. Purdy has had to escape the pocket almost twice as much as he did last year, expressing how Purdy has less and less time in the pocket. Purdy is one of the best QB’s in the league when he has time to throw, but when he faces pressure, he will likely try to force a ball into a tight window.
Shifting to this season, Purdy played amazingly without many of his stars. The 49ers traded Deebo Samuel in the offseason, and Brandon Aiyuk was a no show. Even George Kittle missed more than half the season, and Purdy had to rely on guys like Juan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne to move the chains. Purdy did just that, leading the 49ers to the playoffs with one of the most injured teams and by far the least weapons Purdy has been provided. What seems to be keeping the conversation alive is Mac Jones. Jones played unbelievably well in his first year with the Niners, serving as an elite backup with Purdy’s injuries. Many people still wonder if the Kyle Shanahan offense is the real reason to Brock’s success, hence why Mac Jones was able to play so well.
The fundamental question is whether Brock Purdy is a system QB? My answer: No. While Purdy has struggled recently he his still one of the best QB’s in the league. Recently, Purdy has been playing almost every game with at least two of his superstars absent and still makes plays to keep them in the game. Yet Purdy has been able to win many games, scoring near 30 points a game until there final playoff game. Purdy has shown amazing athletic ability as well as arm talent and has proved his value and worth for this team. Although many are skeptical about this true abilities, I believe the 49ers have a star in Brock Purdy, who can hopefully lead them to their first Superbowl win in 30 years.
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