SAN FRANCISCO — The 2025 NFL season may be in the rearview mirror, but the fireworks in the Bay Area are just getting started. In a year defined by chaos, injuries, and a playoff push that defied the odds, the San Francisco 49ers are once again staring down a familiar headline: Brock Purdy Disrespect.
NFL.com’s Nick Shook just dropped his definitive ranking of all 63 starting quarterbacks from the 2025 season, and you have to scroll past nearly half the league to find the 49ers’ franchise signal-caller. Despite carrying a battered roster to the postseason, Purdy landed with a thud in Tier 3 at No. 15 overall.
The ‘Tier 3’ Shock: By The Numbers
For the Faithful, this isn’t just a low ranking; it’s a slap in the face. Purdy sits behind a crowd of names that will ignite furious debate on sports radio tomorrow morning. While veteran Matthew Stafford (#1) and second-year sensation Drake Maye (#4) claimed Tier 1 honors, Purdy finds himself looking up at the likes of Dak Prescott—who, despite a #3 ranking, watched the playoffs from his couch.
The metric for the slide? Availability. Purdy started just nine regular-season games in 2025 due to injury. But a closer look at his production during those nine starts reveals a quarterback playing at an elite level, not a mid-tier manager:
- Passing Yards: 2,167
- Passing TDs: 20
- Rushing TDs: 3
- Interceptions: 10
Pace those numbers out over a full 17-game season, and you’re looking at nearly 4,100 yards and 43 total touchdowns. That is MVP-caliber production, yet the rankings punished the injury rather than rewarding the efficiency.
Locker Room Talk: “Put Respect on His Name”
The reaction from the football world was instant and scorching. Former QB and analyst Robert Griffin III didn’t mince words, taking to social media to dismantle the “game manager” narrative that somehow persists four years into Purdy’s career.
“Brock Purdy is NOT just a game manager. Brock Purdy is a Franchise QB who led his team on a 66-yard drive to beat the reigning Super Bowl Champ Philadelphia Eagles without the stacked roster around him that his haters claimed made him great. PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME.”
— Robert Griffin III, via X
The “stacked roster” argument holds less water in 2026 than ever before. With key weapons sidelined for chunks of the 2025 campaign, Purdy often had to create magic out of broken plays. A viral stat from Ari Meirov highlighted this escapability, noting that in a single game, Purdy covered a staggering 413 yards of total distance on just 33 dropbacks—scrambling for his life to extend plays.
Even Tom Brady weighed in on the scramble drill mastery, noting, “That’s almost like Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl I played against him.”
Fantasy vs. Reality
While the pundits downgrade him, the data—specifically for fantasy managers—tells a different story. In the dynasty community, the disconnect between Purdy’s “real life” rank and his statistical output is baffling experts.
According to @P2WFantasy, Purdy has been a top-tier asset for three straight years:
- 2025: 20.8 Fantasy PPG (#5)
- 2024: 18.6 Fantasy PPG (#10)
- 2023: 19.2 Fantasy PPG (#6)
During the critical 2025 fantasy playoffs, he averaged nearly 300 yards and 3.7 touchdowns per game. Those aren’t Tier 3 numbers; those are league-winning numbers.
Playoff Implications / What’s Next
This ranking adds a massive chip to Purdy’s shoulder heading into the 2026 offseason. With contract extension talks likely looming or recently settled, the narrative that he is merely a “system QB” floating in the middle of the pack gives the 49ers leverage—but it also gives Purdy fire.
The NFC West is no longer the playground it once was. With Stafford’s renaissance in LA and the Seahawks finding stability, San Francisco needs the version of Purdy that averaged 20+ points per game. If 2025 was the “lost year” due to injury, 2026 is shaping up to be the Revenge Tour. The league might see him as No. 15, but in Santa Clara, he’s the only number that matters.
