SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy set an outrageously high standard in his first 25 games as an NFL starting quarterback.
He ranks No. 1 for any player in NFL history with a passer rating of 112.6 in his first 25 regular-season starts, as the 49ers achieved a 19-6 record since he took over late in the 2022 season.
At 24, Purdy said he believes his ability to continue his top-notch play — or even take it to a higher level — comes down to his competitive mindset.
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“The challenge for me now is, man, how can I continue to have that mentality of having the chip on my shoulder and competing every down in the game for four quarters?” Purdy said on Thursday.
Of course, Purdy entered the NFL as the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. So he came into the spotlight with a desire to prove he belonged.
“When I first got in my rookie year, there was this energy of, ‘Hey, I'm a young guy getting thrown in, man, I'm going to just show my guys that I can compete and bring it and bring it every down and every play and give our team a chance,’” Purdy said. “And sometimes when you play for a long time, you can sort of lose that.”
In his first full season as the 49ers’ starter, Purdy led the NFL last season with a 113.0 passer rating and 9.6 yards per pass attempt — both franchise records. He also set the 49ers record with 4,280 yards passing.
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Through four games, Purdy leads the NFL with 1,182 yards passing and 9.3 yards per attempt. He also leads the league with 18 completions of 20 yards or more.
Purdy said he was so focused initially on learning the intricacies of San Francisco's offense, including the often cumbersome language of coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“It’s tough, man,” Purdy said. “And you’ve got to study, you’ve got to be on top of your stuff. And I feel like I've grown in that area for sure.”
Purdy began his career as the 49ers' No. 3 quarterback. After season-ending injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, many believed San Francisco's season was over.
But Purdy worked hard behind the scenes to be ready for his chance, and he led the 49ers' offense to greater heights.
Once he became more comfortable with the offense, Purdy said his focus shifted to moving from game to game, opponent to opponent, to prepare for each unique challenge.
Now, Purdy is established. He is generally regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the game. But he wants to continue to play with the hunger that drove him to all the success he has enjoyed in the early portion of his NFL career.
“How can you compete and elevate everybody else's game around you by doing what it takes to win and that simplicity of it?” Purdy said. “So I feel like that's still an area that I can learn from and grow and be reminded that that's what football is.”
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