San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle explains why there's so much criticism surrounding Brock ... [+]
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has a simple explanation for why third-year quarterback Brock Purdy doesn't receive the praise that he deserves – people are looking for clickbait storylines.
Despite leading the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance in his first full season as a starting quarterback and finishing as a top runner-up in MVP voting, Purdy has received a lot of flak, with critics calling him a game manager at quarterback.
Detractors often point towards is his stacked supporting cast – featuring four-time All-Pro tight end Kittle, the top running back in the league in Christian McCaffrey and one of the best receiving duos in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk – as a major reason for why Purdy has been able to excel.
Kittle explains the media's motive in driving this specific narrative of Purdy instead of giving credit where it's due.
"I really think that people just like controversy," says Kittle in a one-on-one interview. "If anyone could argue with anyone, they just like to do that on media. And the Niners fan base is huge and they're very defensive of their players. Any time there's clickbait out there talking about why Brock Purdy is not good, they'll get a reaction out of the Niners fan base because they all believe in Purdy. I think it's more of a clickbait thing."
The 30-year-old tight end – who recently complimented Purdy by saying he "looks like the guy" following OTAs – further defends his quarterback and explains why he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
"If you're someone who actually paid attention to football and actually know how to watch it, you'd say he's a top quarterback in the NFL," says Kittle. “That's why he finished as a top runner-up in MVP voting. When people say he's got a really good team around him, you still have to be a good player to go out there and execute it. And you see all the plays he makes – he's a fantastic football player. The people who don't believe that, probably don't watch a ton of football."
The media's portrayal of Purdy has been surprising given that he's the definition of a feel-good success story. Purdy was the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft – known as Mr. Irrelevant – and quickly emerged as the Niners' best option at quarterback during his rookie season when he took over the starting job late in the 2022 season. The Iowa State quarterback went on to win the first seven games of his career before a series UCL injury suffered during the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles ended their season.
Despite not being able to participate in full offseason team activities due to the injury, Purdy brought over his success from the previous season into the 2023 campaign, leading the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance while ranking among the best quarterbacks in every major passing category. The 24-year-old led the NFL in passer rating (113.0) and yards gained per attempt (9.6) while breaking the franchise single-season record for passing yards (4,280).
Instead of praising him for his early-career success – he's the lowest drafted quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl and had the Niners leading in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVIII – the media has instead focused on a negative narrative surrounding Purdy.
Kittle details why Purdy has grown so much as he enters his third season, including how he's growing more comfortable and vocal as a leader.
"Just being around him for the past month, since the spring, he just kind of has this intensity to him every single day," says Kittle. "He's his harshest critic, but he shows up every single day with a purpose. He gets the guys going around him too. He's getting on the wide receivers, tight ends or running backs. And to see him take ownership of the offense because he's comfortable with this, he's growing up and he's not the new kid on the block who's just trying not to mess up. He's taking ownership of the offense with confidence."
While the Purdy and the Niners are clearly unfazed by the unfair criticism, it will likely take a Super Bowl win to shed the narrative surrounding the young star quarterback.
