Brock Purdy

He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, becoming that year's Mr. Irrelevant.

Brock Purdy

Purdy with the Iowa State Cyclones in 2021
No. 13 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1999-12-27) December 27, 1999 (age 24) Queen Creek, Arizona, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:	Perry (Gilbert, Arizona)
College:	Iowa State (2018–2021)
NFL draft:	2022 / Round: 7 / Pick: 262
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2022–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (2023) NFL passer rating leader (2023) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2022) 2× First-team All-Big 12 (2020, 2021) Second-team All-Big 12 (2019)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Passing attempts: 614 Passing completions: 422 Completion percentage: 68.7% TD–INT: 44–15 Passing yards: 5,654 Passer rating: 111.4
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Purdy began his rookie season in the NFL as the third-string quarterback but took over the starting role following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Winning all five regular-season games he started, he played a key role in the 49ers' ten-game winning streak, securing a division title and an NFC Championship Game appearance. Purdy continued as the 49ers' starting quarterback in the 2023 season, where he led them to a repeat division title and led the league in multiple passing categories en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVIII. In addition, he set the franchise's single-season passing yards record and earned his first Pro Bowl nomination.

Purdy was born on December 27, 1999, in Queen Creek, Arizona. He played high school football for Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He is the middle child of Shawn and Carrie Purdy. Shawn was a Minor League Baseball player for eight seasons. Brock's older sister, Whittney Purdy, played softball at Southeastern University. His younger brother Chubba Purdy later became the starting quarterback at Perry before being recruited to Florida State as a dual-threat quarterback. From the ages of 5 to 12, Purdy played quarterback in a flag football league. His father attributed Purdy's later success in part to the faster processing speed required to play flag football; quarterbacks were given seven seconds to get rid of the football before plays were blown dead.

Purdy started his varsity football career during the 2015 season as a sophomore for the newly opened Perry High School. In 2016, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) adjusted the athletic regions, placing Perry in the 6A Division Premier Region, ranked as the sixth toughest region in the nation. Purdy's performance elevated Perry into the 6A Division AIA State Championship game in 2016 and 2017, losing 65–28 and 48–42, respectively, both to Chandler High School.

During his tenure, Purdy began to establish himself as a football power in Arizona, competing against Chandler Unified School District's more established powerhouse programs such as Chandler High (0–5), Hamilton (4–2), and Basha (2–1). Overall, Purdy achieved a 27–13 record at Perry. He was named Gatorade's Football Player of the Year and was The Arizona Republic's high school football player of the year.

Purdy was considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports. He signed his letter of intent to commit to Iowa State University on February 7, 2018, enrolling in June of the same year.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Brock Purdy QB	Queen Creek, Arizona	Perry High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 839
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Purdy entered his freshman year for the Cyclones in 2018 as the third string to Kyle Kempt and Zeb Noland. He became the starter after Kempt was injured and Noland was ineffective. Overall, he started eight games, completing 146 of 220 passes for 2,250 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for what would prove to be a career-best 169.9 passer rating (sixth best in all NCAA football), and compiling a 7–2 record for the Cyclones. In addition, he rushed for 308 yards and five touchdowns.

 

During Purdy's sophomore season in 2019, he started all 13 games, compiling a 7–6 record. The year was highlighted by 435 yards and a school-record 510 total yards, along with three touchdowns against Louisiana-Monroe, five passing and one rushing touchdown in a close 42–41 loss to the then number 9 Oklahoma Sooners, and 372 yards with three passing and one rushing touchdowns in a win over Kansas. He passed for a touchdown in 12 consecutive games and completed 39 passes against a single team, Oklahoma State—both school records. Purdy also led the Big 12 Conference in passing yards with 3,982 and was third in total touchdowns, 27 of them passing, which broke George Amundson's 41-year-old school record of 24 total touchdowns.

During Purdy's junior year in 2020, he had less flashy statistics, but the emergence of running back Breece Hall led the Cyclones to a 9–3 record (tied with the 2000 season for the best record in program history) and a number 9 national ranking, their highest in school history dating to 1895. Purdy had three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 45–0 shutout of Kansas State, followed two weeks later by completing 20 of 23 passes for three touchdowns and rushing for 38 yards and another touchdown in a 42–6 victory over West Virginia. In the Fiesta Bowl, Purdy passed and rushed for a touchdown in a 34–17 win over Oregon.

In his 2021 senior year, Purdy and Hall again led the Cyclones to a 7–6 record, highlighted by 307 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–21 victory over number 8 Oklahoma State. Purdy also had 356 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Tech, but Iowa State lost in a 41–38 shootout. The season was a disappointment to an Iowa State team ranked number 7 entering the season, but Purdy's 71.7 percent completion percentage and 3,188 yards again led the Big 12.

Purdy ended his time at Iowa State as a three-time All-Big 12 quarterback, holding 32 school records including career pass attempts, completions, percentage, yards, and both passing (81) and total (100) touchdowns. His 14 games with 300-plus passing yards was nearly triple the previous school record of five by Bret Meyer. Purdy's four years at Iowa State corresponded with the first time the school's football program had seen four consecutive winning seasons since 1923–1927.

2022 season

The San Francisco 49ers selected Purdy with the final pick (262nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant. The Athletic later obtained the scouting report of another NFL team that evaluated Purdy but opted not to draft him; the report described Purdy as experienced and "works through his progressions very well" but "not a very good athlete...limited arm, both in strength and throw repertoire." After observing Purdy's subsequent performance in his first NFL season, the coach who authored the report told The Athletic that while Purdy's record in college was impressive, "The requirement to juke people and outrun people in college is a lot lower than it is in the NFL... In college, they might be able to outrun that D-end or pull away from that linebacker, but they got hawked down in the NFL. But Purdy has kinda maintained that and almost surpassed his level of agility in the NFL." The coach indicated that Purdy's performance in his first NFL season would likely have warranted being drafted in the second or third round, saying: "We undervalued his agility and probably the mental side, and San Francisco is perfect for it because they put a lot of importance on that because of their offense."

In October 2023, former 49er quarterback and Hall of Fame member Steve Young opined that Purdy was overlooked in the draft because his calmness under pressure would not have been apparent: "...the [quarterback] position is really about guile and an innate gift from heaven, in some ways, to be able to have your heart rate go down when everyone else is in anxiety and pressure... But in the NFL, very few are naturally at peace. And that's why when I compare him to Patrick Mahomes, I'm comparing him to how Patrick feels at peace. We all grew into it. Some guys just show up. Patrick showed up at peace, and so did Brock. The draft doesn't understand that thing."

Trey Lance was named the starter over Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2022 season, making Purdy the third-string quarterback. One week into training camp during the 2022 pre-season, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told 49ers CEO Jed York that he thought Purdy was the team's best quarterback. According to York, Shanahan told him that nevertheless they would continue to invest in Lance as the starter: "Obviously we’ve invested in Trey and Trey's doing a good job and we're going to do everything that we can. We're not going to change that. And we're not going to change our depth chart. But I think Brock will end up being our quarterback." York publicly recounted this story ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, praising both Shanahan's candor and decision process: "...one thing that owners don't love to hear when they've invested money and/or draft picks or both into people is that the last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best. That’s generally not great news. But he's honest. And he let it play out the right way."

Lance appeared in only two games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. On October 9, 2022, Purdy made his regular-season debut, briefly relieving Garoppolo and posting 1 carry for −1 yards. On October 23, 2022, Purdy relieved Garoppolo on the 49ers' last drive in the 4th quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing for 66 yards and an interception in the 44–23 loss. 49ers CEO York later said that Purdy's performance gave him some doubts: "I think Brock threw one ball into the stands. And I may or may not have had some sarcastic comments for Kyle postgame."

In Week 13, in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo suffered a foot injury, causing the 49ers to call upon Purdy once again. Purdy performed efficiently, and finished the game completing 25-of-37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns—one to running back Christian McCaffrey and one to fullback Kyle Juszczyk—and one interception in a 33–17 win. Purdy became the first 'Mr. Irrelevant' to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game. Following Garoppolo's injury, Purdy was named the 49ers' starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2022 season. On December 11, Purdy became the only quarterback in his first career start to beat a team led by Tom Brady, when the 49ers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35–7. Purdy finished the game with 185 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, along with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. After the game, the 49ers sent out a tweet dubbing Purdy "Mr. Relevant". In the following game against the Seahawks, Purdy and the 49ers won the game and the NFC West division by a score of 21–13. He had 17-for-26 passing with 217 yards and two touchdowns, both to George Kittle, in the win. Purdy became the second player in NFL history, after Aaron Rodgers, to record a cumulative total quarterback rating of 115 or greater in his first two starts.

In Week 16, against the Washington Commanders, Purdy finished with 234 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the 49ers won 37–20. In Week 17, against the Las Vegas Raiders, Purdy led the 49ers to a 37–34 overtime victory. He finished the game with 284 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception. On January 12, 2023, the NFL named Purdy as the National Football Conference (NFC)'s Rookie of the Month for December and January. Purdy finished the regular season throwing for 1,374 yards for thirteen touchdowns and four interceptions, winning all five of his starts and leading the 49ers to the second seed in the playoffs. Purdy's passer rating of 119.4 through his five starts is the highest for a quarterback in his first five starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.

In the 49ers' Wild Card game on January 14, 2023, against the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy became the first 49ers rookie quarterback to start and win a playoff game, while putting him 6–0 in career starts. In the game, he completed 18-of-30 passes for 332 yards and scored four total touchdowns, the most by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game. With this victory, he also became the lowest-drafted quarterback to start and win a playoff game, and became the first rookie quarterback since Sammy Baugh in 1937 to have at least 200 pass yards and two pass scores in a playoff win. This also made him the first rookie quarterback to do so since the AFL–NFL merger. With the 49ers' subsequent victory in the divisional round against the Dallas Cowboys, Purdy became the third quarterback since 1970 to win two playoff games in his rookie season. Although throwing no touchdowns in this game, Purdy completed 19-of-29 passes for 214 yards, which also made him the first rookie quarterback since 1970 to throw over 200 yards in consecutive NFL postseason games.

During the first quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 29, Purdy suffered an injury to his right elbow. He was replaced by Josh Johnson. Following Johnson's concussion in the third quarter, Purdy reentered the game, though he would only throw two more passes; he was primarily tasked with handing off the ball to his teammates. The 49ers would go on to lose 31–7. Purdy was diagnosed with a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, which rendered him unable to throw the ball more than 10 yards.

2023 season

After a successful recovery from injury, Purdy was named the starting quarterback for the first week of the 2023 season, over Sam Darnold, Brandon Allen, and Trey Lance, the latter later being traded to the Cowboys.

In Week 1, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Purdy completed 19-of-29 passing attempts for 220 yards, two touchdowns (both to Brandon Aiyuk), and a passer rating of 111.3. With the 49ers win and two touchdown passes on the day, Purdy became the first quarterback in NFL history to win his first six career regular season starts and throw at least two touchdown passes in each of those starts. With a passer rating of 111.3, Purdy also became the first quarterback in NFL history to register a passer rating of 95.0 or higher in each of his first six career regular-season starts. In Week 4, playing the Arizona Cardinals, Purdy completed 20-of-21 passes, setting a new 49ers franchise record for highest single-game completion rate of 95.2%. The prior franchise record of 90% had been set by Steve Young in Week 8 of the 1991 season. In Week 5, against the Cowboys, Purdy completed 17-of-24 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns. With this victory, Purdy became the fourth quarterback in NFL history (after Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady) to lead a team that scored 30 points or more in at least 8 consecutive regular season games. Purdy suffered his first regular season loss during Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns by a score of 19–17 after kicker Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter. Purdy completed 12-of-27 passes for 125 yards, threw one touchdown and one interception, and ended the game with a 55.3 passer rating.

In Week 10, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Purdy threw for 296 yards and three touchdown passes, setting a new career record passer rating of 148.9. This was the third time in his NFL career that Purdy had thrown at least three touchdowns with a passer rating of 140 or more; the only other NFL quarterback to have done the same in his first two seasons is Kurt Warner. In Week 11, against the Buccaneers, Purdy completed 21-of-25 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns culminating in a perfect passer rating of 158.3. This was the first time a 49ers quarterback achieved a perfect passer rating since Joe Montana in 1989, and the only time a 49ers quarterback has accomplished that feat with 25 or more attempts in a game. He was subsequently named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for his Week 11 performance. In Week 13, against the Eagles, Purdy completed 19-of-27 passes for 314 yards and 4 touchdowns, as the 49ers won 42–19. Purdy was again named FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week. In Week 14, against the Seahawks, Purdy threw for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns with a completion rate of 70.4%, and was named FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for the second week in a row.

In Week 15, Purdy led the 49ers to a second consecutive NFC West title with a 45–29 win against the Arizona Cardinals. He completed 16-of-25 passes for 245 yards, threw 4 touchdowns and no interceptions, and ended the game with a passer rating of 135.3. Purdy left the game in the second quarter and was assessed in the medical tent for what head coach Kyle Shanahan believed was a head injury, but Purdy eventually returned to the game after the medical staff assessed that Purdy had a shoulder stinger. Backup quarterback Darnold substituted Purdy for three plays while he was in the medical tent.

In Week 16, against the Baltimore Ravens, Purdy completed 18-of-32 passes, threw 255 yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions in the 33–19 loss. Purdy's 255 passing yards allowed him to surpass 4,000 passing yards in a season, the first 49ers quarterback to do so since Jeff Garcia in 2000. The following week against the Commanders, Purdy threw for 230 yards, surpassing Garcia's franchise season passing yards record by 2 yards. On January 3, 2024, Shanahan stated that Purdy would not play during the 49ers' Week 18 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Later that day, the NFL announced that Purdy had been selected as the NFC's starting quarterback for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games. Purdy completed the regular season leading the league in passer rating, total quarterback rating, and yards gained per attempt.

At home against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round, Purdy struggled with accuracy in rainy conditions as the 49ers trailed entering the fourth quarter. Despite his struggles, Purdy engineered a 12-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with Christian McCaffrey scoring a go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes left as the 49ers won 24–21. Purdy was 6-of-7 for 47 yards on the game-winning drive and finished the game completing 23 of his 39 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown. In the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions, Purdy only completed seven of his 15 pass attempts for 93 yards and an interception as San Francisco trailed 24–7 at halftime. In the second half, Purdy completed 13-of-16 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled for 49 rushing yards as he rallied the 49ers from a 17-point deficit at halftime to win 34–31, advancing to Super Bowl LVIII. Purdy became the lowest drafted quarterback to start a Super Bowl. In the game, Purdy completed 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown in a 25–22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Regular season

Postseason

• 2x NFC Rookie of the Month (December, January) (2022)
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2022)

NFL records

• First Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game
• Second quarterback in NFL history to record a passer rating of 115 or greater in his first two starts (after Aaron Rodgers)
• First quarterback in NFL history to win his first six career starts and throw at least two touchdown passes in each of those starts
• First quarterback in NFL history to register a passer rating of 95.0-or-higher in each of his first six career starts
• Tied for most games with a passer rating over 140 in a season (4, alongside Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Andy Johnson, Roger Staubach, and Jacky Lee)
• Tied for most games with a passer rating over 130 in a season (6, alongside Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, and Tony Romo)

NFL playoffs records

• Lowest-drafted quarterback to start and win a playoff game
• First rookie quarterback since the AFL–NFL merger to throw over 200 yards in consecutive NFL postseason games
• Third rookie quarterback to win two playoff games (tied with Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez)

Purdy is a devout Christian and openly talks about his faith. Purdy has stated in press briefings and interviews that Christianity plays a major role in his life. He grew up a Miami Dolphins fan, and wears number 13 in honor of Dan Marino.

For his first two seasons in the NFL, Purdy lived with 49er teammates Nick Zakelj and Alfredo Gutiérrez. Owing to him becoming a starter despite his draft status, he has been nicknamed "Mr. Relevant".

In July 2023, Purdy announced his engagement to his girlfriend Jenna Brandt. They married in March 2024.