The San Francisco 49ers square off against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It is still up in the air as to whether Brock Purdy or Mac Jones will start for San Francisco, but veteran Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell made it clear who he'd rather face.
Campbell, who has been in the NFL since 2008, appeared on NFL Network and was asked who he would rather face on Sunday between Purdy and Jones.
Here is what he had to say:
Cardinals DL Calais Campbell was asked would he rather face Mac Jones or Brock Purdy on Sunday:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) September 18, 2025
“Do you want a truthful answer? The truthful answer is I’d much rather play against Mac Jones. It’s a not a shot because Mac is a first round talent. He just hasn’t been in that… pic.twitter.com/CZTuaO5W68
If you cannot access the post, Campbell said:
"Do you want a truthful answer? The truthful answer is I’d much rather play against Mac Jones. It’s a not a shot because Mac is a first-round talent. He just hasn’t been in that offense a long time…With Brock, he’s a master of that offense. He can make it go."
This is a fair response from the six-time Pro Bowl lineman. He is not necessarily dissing Jones, but he knows how ingrained Purdy is in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive system, so naturally, the QB1 is going to allow for a higher ceiling if he is out there and healthy.
Jones played well in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, which has already given fuel to Purdy detractors who claim basically any quarterback could be put in Shanahan's offense and have success.
Purdy is a maybe to play this Sunday against Arizona even if his return might come with a catch. He has been practicing this week and says he feels good, but the 49ers certainly want to be careful with their franchise quarterback and do not want to rush him back too soon.
Whichever Niners quarterback gets the start on Sunday, they will have a tough assignment going up against Campbell. The 39-year-old veteran is still playing well as he recorded two sacks last week against the Carolina Panthers. Maybe with Purdy's bad toe, the Niners want to ease him in with a better matchup when he is more fully healed.
Still, it speaks volumes that Campbell says he would rather see Jones on Sunday and should quiet any of the faux "controversy" between Purdy and Jones.
Purdy is the guy in San Francisco and that is not going to change anytime soon.