The NFL May Have Finally Settled the Brock Purdy Debate

It's about time.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s ranking amongst the NFL’s best is one of the most debatable conversations in the league. However, Mike Sando of The Athletic and his tier ranking might have found a way to solve the debate. Sando polled league executives, coaches, people who used to be in the NFL, and more to compile a list of quarterback tiers. 

Purdy came in at the second tier and tied for 11th. 

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is a tier 2 quarterback 

You can nitpick the ranking, but the tier is hard to fight against. Sando has Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow in the first tier. It is hard to argue Purdy over any of those options right now based on how well these players can play. 

However, what makes things interesting is that the next 13 quarterbacks are all tier 2 players. Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, and Jordan Love all ranked ahead of Purdy. Again, you can nitpick a few of these players, but at the end of the day, the NFL views them in the same tier. 

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Purdy is tied with Caleb Williams as the number 11 quarterback. Below them are Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence, and Jalen Hurts. Again, some would argue a few of these names should be over Purdy. However, they are all in the same tier. 

This speaks to where the quarterback discussion stands league-wide. 

These rankings show us that a player ranked fifth best in the NFL is in the same tier as a player ranked 17th best. With 32 teams, that is the difference between an elite starter and a below-average player. However, that makes it the perfect ranking for Purdy and these other quarterbacks. 

In certain games, with certain matchups and with the right players around them, all of those players can look like top-five options or MVP candidates. Purdy has. However, the reason they are not in a tier higher is that in certain stretches, matchups, and when the pieces around them are not as strong, they can look below average. Purdy has to be considered in this group as well. 

It is notable that Purdy has been tier 2 for the past three years. It is also worth noting that this is the highest he has been on the rankings so far. So, while he is trending up, he is still in the right tier.