Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is the latest to come to Brock Purdy's defense. The quarterback continues to face criticism from skeptics who believe he's more a product of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive system and the talent around him than a legitimate elite passer.
That criticism intensified after the 49ers made Purdy one of the NFL's highest-paid players, signing him to a five-year, $265 million extension. Skeptics are now watching closely to see whether the quarterback excels or falters in 2025.
Armstead recently appeared on FS1's First Things First, where he shared his insights on Purdy's performance during their last season together—the quarterback's record-breaking 2023 campaign, in which Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 passing yards.
Host Nick Wright has been among Purdy's most vocal critics, but Armstead explained why he believes that perspective is misguided. The defensive lineman revealed he spoke with several 49ers receivers at the time—including Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel—to find out what set Purdy apart from previous quarterbacks.
"Because I felt like, in 2023, that was the best offense we've had in my entire tenure of that time," Armstead said.
It was noted that the arrival of running back Christian McCaffrey fueled the offense. McCaffrey won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award that season after amassing 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns. While that was a significant factor, Armstead doesn't believe that was the sole reason for the team's success that season.
"Obviously, Christian, Offensive Player of the Year, but it all goes hand in hand," Armstead continued. "When I talked to the receivers, though, the major difference how Brock changed our team was receivers felt like they could get the ball on any play. It switched from, 'Okay, I'm out of the progression. I'm just doing a run-off route,' to, 'Hey, I better run my best route regardless of the play because Purdy may just throw it to me, and feel like I'm better than the DB covering me, and give me an opportunity.' And the receivers love that.
"And you could see how our offense took off that year. Of course, Christian was a big part of that in that running game ... but Purdy's ability to open up the offense, and make uncharacteristic off-schedule plays, and really open up the offense to if he felt like Aiyuk was maybe a little covered, but he just felt like Aiyuk was better than the guy, he was going to throw him the ball. And we hadn't had that previous years."
Purdy and the 49ers look to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season, when they finished with a 6-11 record.
