Former 49ers QB praises Brock Purdy for response to 2023 struggles

During a Thursday appearance on San Francisco sports radio station KNBR, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia praised current Niners starter Brock Purdy for the way he "snapped out of" a funk following a three-game losing streak this past season. 

"Got back to doing what he does best and making plays, making smart decisions, giving his weapons an opportunity to make plays, to catch the ball, to run with the ball, escaping the pocket, lengthening the play when needed, and making some unbelievable plays," Garcia said about Purdy's response to that skid, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "I mean, enough big-time plays to help lead that team to the Super Bowl and damn near win it."

The final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy won his first seven starts as a rookie (playoffs included) and then notched five straight victories to open the 2023 campaign before he tossed a total of five interceptions across three consecutive defeats. He and the 49ers ultimately bounced back and went from 5-3 to 12-4 before a meaningless Week 18 encounter, and the 24-year-old finished the regular season as a finalist for Most Valuable Player honors. 

In the end, Purdy was one 49ers defensive stop away from becoming a Super Bowl champion in February. 

At least one NFL scout thinks Purdy is "nowhere close to his ceiling" at this stage of his career. Garcia offered pointers for what Purdy could examine this offseason to reach that ceiling sooner rather than later. 

"Maybe there were certain breakdowns in decision-making, certain decisions based on pre-snap and post-snap, how he's seeing the coverage, how he's seeing the coverage rotate after the snap, where he's going with the football," Garcia said about things Purdy may notice while studying game film. 

Purdy and Garcia could be linked for years to come. After all, Purdy broke the franchise record for most passing yards in a single season that Garcia set during the 2000 campaign. While some may still view Purdy as a "game manager" who is lucky to play under a brilliant offensive mind — Kyle Shanahan — Garcia noted the young signal-caller possesses an important trait the head coach can't teach. 

"He's very mature for his age," Garcia added about Purdy, "and you love to see that among these young guys, especially a young guy that's leading our team in the Bay Area." 

As of late Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Purdy tied for sixth among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to claim the MVP Award for the upcoming regular season.