Though he wasn't quite able to get the San Francisco 49ers over the line in Super Bowl 58, from a statistical standpoint Brock Purdy's 2023 season saw him reach territory that proved beyond the likes of Joe Montana and Steve Young during their careers with the team.
Purdy, in his first full season as the 49ers' starter, broke the franchise record for single-season passing yardage, racking up 4,280 yards while throwing 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He was comfortably the most efficient quarterback in the NFL, leading the league in every yards per attempt metric, passer rating and QBR.
With 21 games of tape on him as a starter in the regular season along with six playoff outings, though he was not able to complete even one offensive series in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles in his rookie year, conventional wisdom suggests opponents may be able to identify more ways to slow him down.
As such, it would be no surprise if there are some anticipating at least a slight regression from the outstanding numbers Purdy produced in 2023.
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport is not expecting even a minor drop-off. Instead, he is predicting Purdy to improve marginally on his efforts from last season.
Indeed, in his piece predicting the stats of every projected starting quarterback in the NFL, Davenport has Purdy surpassing his yardage tally from 2023 and throwing for 4,317 yards. He also predicts Purdy will complete 69.8 percent of his passes, up from 69.4 percent last year and throw 32 touchdowns with 11 picks.
On the ground, Davenport predicts Purdy will add 131 yards and two rushing scores, almost identical numbers to 2023 (141 yards, 2 touchdowns).
Davenport writes: "It's all there for Purdy. And if he posts another season in 2024 like last year, then a year from now he's going to be in line for quite possibly the biggest salary bump the league has ever seen."
It is difficult to dispute that claim. If Purdy produces another 4,000-yard season, regardless of whether the 49ers win the title, they will have now choice to make their quarterback, who right now accounts for 0.3% of their salary cap, one of the highest-paid players in NFL history.
With a cast of weapons that is even more stacked following the 49ers' draft moves and the luxury of a full offseason that he did not have last year, there is plenty of evidence to suggest Purdy is primed to put together a campaign that will ensure his place among the upper echelon at the game's most important position and compel San Francisco to pay him as such.
