It seems inevitable that the San Francisco 49ers will offer quarterback Brock Purdy a significant contract this offseason, potentially making him one of the NFL's highest-paid players. However, the debate continues over how much Purdy deserves to be paid.
Purdy's critics have often argued that his success is largely tied to the abundance of talent surrounding him. With the 49ers' roster depleted by injuries this season, Purdy's production declined, fueling those criticisms.
FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho supports the 49ers committing to Purdy as their quarterback—for now.
"I think Brock Purdy is their guy ... for now," Acho stated on The Facility. "I think Brock Purdy is their guy until they can find one of the five."
The injury-plagued 49ers struggled to a 6-11 record this season, finishing last in the NFC West and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Acho suggests that Purdy's inability to lift the team under such circumstances highlights his limitations.
"Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, they can get their team to the playoffs regardless of talent," Acho continued. "[Matthew] Stafford in Los Angeles can get his team to the playoffs, regardless of talent. Outside of that, who else you want? Who else you want better than Brock Purdy?"
Acho admitted that while Purdy can't carry a team on his own, guiding them into the postseason regardless of the surrounding talent, he shares that limitation with most quarterbacks in the league. And many of those have been paid handsomely.
"Brock Purdy's good enough to get you to the Super Bowl," Acho emphasized. "He's good enough to give you a lead in overtime of the Super Bowl, thus he's good enough to win the Super Bowl.
"Is he good enough to carry a talent-depleted roster to the playoffs? No, but I would suggest only Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes are because, by the way, Joe Burrow didn't either."
Acho concluded, "So yes, Brock Purdy is the guy ... for now."
