San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice is considered by many to be the best player at his position in the history of the NFL. Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana led a dynasty in Northern California and is behind only Tom Brady on the list of all-time great quarterbacks.
Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy has started 19 career regular-season games, the exact amount of playoff games Montana started in his career with the red and gold.
So, why are these three coming together in a conversation with the 2023 NFL regular season drawing to a conclusion? We’re glad you asked.
Rice just recently appeared on the podcast of current San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. In doing so, he astonishingly threw out a comparison between Purdy and Montana.
“Brock reminds me a lot of Joe Montana. His coolness. He doesn’t get rattled,” Jerry Rice on Brock Purdy.
Montana earned the nickname “Joe Cool” throughout his career. It stuck after he famously pointed out John Candy in the stands of Super Bowl XXIII before leading San Francisco down the field for a game-winning touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s the backstory here.
As for the comparison, Purdy continues to draw rave reviews in his first full season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the former Iowa State star is currently the odds-on NFL MVP favorite.
- Brock Purdy stats (2023): 70% completion, 3,795 yards, 31 total TD, 7 INT, 119.0 QB rating
Purdy is coming off a stretch of seven consecutive games with at least a 70% completion. That’s second in NFL history behind Joe Montana, who accomplished the feat back in 1989.
Despite all of this, the comparison is obviously premature. At least, when talking in broad strokes. As for what Rice was pointing to? Well, it does make sense to an extent. Purdy has shown a nice amount of poise in the pocket, he doesn’t get rattled and has largely avoided that big-time mistake throughout his young career.
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Montana’s career with the 49ers was defined by postseason success. It wasn’t necessarily about what the team did during the regular season. He went 4-0 in the big game, throwing 11 touchdowns compared to zero interceptions in those starts.
Sure, the comparison between Purdy and Montana can’t be made for years (if ever). But the second-year quarterback does have his team at 11-3 on the season. It is averaging 30.4 points per game. San Francisco is also winning by an average of nearly 20 points per game.
For his part, Purdy is on pace for 4,608 passing yards to go with 38 total touchdowns. For what it’s worth, both figures would top what Montana did in any single season in his career. The Hall of Famer’s career-high in passing yards was 3,944 in 1990 while his personal best was 31 touchdowns in 1987.
Of course, this matters very little. We’re talking about different eras of professional football. Meanwhile, Purdy has 17 games to do his things compared to the 16-game slate the NFL played under when Montana suited up.
Either way, Rice’s comments are eye-opening given that he was on the receiving end of a ton of touchdowns from Mr. Montana.
If Purdy is able to come away with the MVP while leading San Francisco to its first Lombardi Trophy since January of 1995, we can somehow start the comparisons. Until then, it’s nothing more than fun to look at.