Former 49ers QB compares Brock Purdy to NBA player

San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy recently broke the franchise record for most passing yards in a single season that Jeff Garcia originally set during the 2000 campaign. 

Garcia spoke about Purdy's play during a Wednesday appearance on San Francisco sports radio station KNBR.

"He's a top NBA point guard on the NFL field," Garcia said about Purdy, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "I mean, that's really what a quarterback needs to be—is you engage your teammates, you give your teammates opportunities to make plays. He's one of the best at doing that this year in the NFL, and the future looks bright for the young man. He's doing an incredible job of running (head coach) Kyle Shanahan's system and utilizing the weapons that he has around him."

Much was made throughout this season about Purdy being a so-called "game manager" and about whether such takes were disrespectful. After all, the 24-year-old spent much of the campaign as a betting favorite to earn Most Valuable Player honors until he produced an awful performance against the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night. 

Baltimore's Lamar Jackson is now widely considered the unnamed MVP for 2023. As of early Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Jackson as an overwhelming betting favorite to win the award at -20000 odds. Meanwhile, the Ravens and 49ers both clinched No. 1 seeds for the postseason tournament ahead of Week 18. 

"...When you look at Brock play the position, he plays the position the way Kyle Shanahan has designed that system to be played," Garcia added. "Whether it's inside the pocket, outside the pocket, he can make the throws."

According to ESPN stats, Purdy heads into the final weekend of the regular season leading the NFL among qualified players with a 72.7 adjusted QBR, a 113.0 passer rating and an average of 9.6 yards per pass attempt for the campaign. He's also second with 4,280 passing yards and 31 touchdowns through the air. 

As of Thursday, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 49ers as the overall favorites at +220 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII.