The season ended in disappointment for the San Francisco 49ers, and quarterback Brock Purdy had a shaky final few games.
Despite that, legendary Niners signal-caller Joe Montana made some comments on Purdy that should put fans at ease.
In a recent interview, Montana was asked about Purdy and he had the following to say:
"I love watching him. I think he’s a great quarterback with things he’s been able to do, especially this past season with smoke and mirrors with all the guys that got hurt. They made it a lot further than I thought. So my hats off to them and him for fighting through all the things that were there.”
Anytime a player gets praised by one of the best to ever do it, you know they are doing something right.
Montana has always praised Purdy and his game. While there was some squabbling among 49ers fans about whether extending Purdy would be the wisest move last offseason, Montana remained steadfast that the Iowa State product was the right guy to lead the team for the long-term.
Perhaps Montana sees a little bit of himself in Purdy. While "Joe Cool" was taken in the third round of the NFL Draft out of Notre Dame rather than with the last pick of the draft like Purdy, detractors said similar things about them both.
Both were criticized for a lack of arm strength and being too small to last at the quarterback position. Both have also faced criticism that their success has had more to do with their "genius" offensive-minded head coaches rather than their own abilities.
Montana knows what it is like to be doubted and then prove everyone wrong, and Purdy has been able to do the same so far in his young NFL career.
Still, Purdy faced his doubters in 2025 as well. Coming off signing a massive five-year, $265 million extension, the pressure was on. He ended up only starting nine games due to a lingering toe injury that kept him out for half of the season, and while he was out, there were quarterback controversy rumblings due to the play of Mac Jones. But, Purdy played some of the best football we've seen him play coming down the stretch in the regular season to give the team a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
However, he was shaky in the team's final three games. In those contests, he threw four interceptions compared to just two touchdowns and had a much harder time finding success against a stout Seattle Seahawks defense and a solid Philadelphia Eagles one. Part of that certainly had to do with being undermanned on offense, but Purdy made some mental errors as well.
He still has room to grown, but Montana's comments are a reminder to 49ers fans that the team has the right guy under center for the foreseeable future.