When quarterback Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers made it to the Super Bowl last season, there were endless debates about how much Purdy was elevated by his supporting cast. The same conversation is not had with other quarterbacks.
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. It is the second time in the past three years we will see the Eagles and Chiefs square off in the big game.
Hurts is a very good quarterback, but he has a very good supporting cast around him on offense. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had a phenomenal season, rushing for over 2,000 yards. The Eagles have great wide receivers as well with A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. Brown may have had a bit of a down year as he dealt with some injuries, but he has been one of the best receivers in the NFL the past few seasons. Smith is a former Heisman Trophy winner, who despite his smaller frame, has become one of Hurts' favorite weapons.
That supporting cast is not all that different compared to what Purdy had at his disposal last season. He had running back Christian McCaffrey who had a phenomenal year and won Offensive Player of the Year honors. He also had wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk who are fairly comparable to Smith and Brown. Perhaps the one clear advantage Purdy had was at tight end with George Kittle.
Yet, it is not as if Purdy had an insane talent advantage on offense compared to Hurts.
So why is Mr. Irrelevant held to a different standard?
Jalen Hurts isn't subjected to Brock Purdy's level of scrutiny
It is likely because Purdy was taken with the last pick in the NFL Draft, and many analysts refuse to believe they could have been so wrong about his talents. Hurts played at high-profile schools in college and helped lead Alabama to a national championship, so he has been in the public eye much longer and is thought of in a much better light by analysts.
Both quarterbacks are certainly the beneficiary of the offensive cast they have around them, but it would be wrong to suggest that either of them is fully propped up by their supporting players and that any player could be plugged into the system.
Unfortunately, it seems Purdy will always carry that albatross around his neck of where he was selected in the draft. Even though he has shown how good he can be, there will still be those who insist he cannot succeed without his weapons. He definitely struggled in 2024 when the 49ers had injuries, but there are probably only a few quarterbacks who would be just as productive without their top weapons.
With the 49ers in the process of extending Purdy's contract, they would do well to remember how good the quarterback can be and should ignore the noise that any old quarterback could have had the same success that he has enjoyed.