Former MVP Scoffs at Recent Brock Purdy Trade Rumors

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San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Brock Purdy warms up prior to a game against the Dallas Cowboys

The conversation about Brock Purdy’s looming contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers is like a thriller novel. There has been a twist around every corner that has the NFL world hooked to see how things end. Will Purdy sign a record-breaking contract, or will San Francisco shake up the quarterback room like they have a history of doing? Whatever happens, everything feels like a possibility.

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger threw a massive curveball into the discussion by suggesting replacing Purdy with his former backup.

“I’d say flip him for Sam Darnold right now,” Baldinger said before citing the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback’s superior size and athleticism. Baldinger would later add that the two quarterbacks could compete for the starting job in the summer, contract permitting.

The former 12-year pro’s comments led to a variety of responses, including those who believe Darnold’s physical tools and potentially cheaper contract are a future worth examining. The other collective response was resounding hell no.

While fans debated Baldinger’s proposal, a former MVP and Super Bowl champion was asked to chime in.

Former MVP’s Response to Baldinger

Former MVP and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner joined Willard & Dibs on 95.7 the game to discuss Brock Purdy’s ceiling. The conversation quickly turned to a potential reunion with Sam Darnold and the why the former first-round pick is finally breaking out.

Before answering, Warner took the time to respond to Baldinger’s comments and recollects on a similar situation he had while quarterback the then St. Louis Rams.

“The first thing is it just makes me laugh,” Warner said scoffingly. “What about the last two years with Brock Purdy? I remember I kind of went through [the same thing ] with St. Louis too. You know, [we] went to a couple of Super Bowls, won a couple of MVPs, and then we had a down year after our second Super Bowl. And you know, people were asking, ‘Well, are you going to change quarterbacks?'”

Warner continues by recalling then Rams’ head coach Mike Martz’ response to the media after asking about a quarterback change.

“I remember Mike Martz at one point in the season going, ‘Are you guys part of the amnesia crowd? Have you forgotten what happened in the last three years and how good Kurt was? We’re not just going to panic because we’ve had a bad stretch here.’ It’s almost like that’s what we’re doing in San Francisco. Let’s forget about these last two years cause this year hasn’t been as good.”

Warner goes onto point out Darnold’s career inconsistencies and questions his capabilities to string together consecutive successful seasons.

Comparing Darnold and Purdy’s Success

“Let’s forget about everything else he’s done in the league because he’s been wildly inconsistent, and although he’s shown glimpses, he’s never been able to put it together.” Warner said. “And now he’s having this incredible year in Minnesota and we’re all ready to say let’s flop him and take this guy because he’s having a great year even though he’s never shown the ability to put two great years together back to back.”

Warner then calls out recency bias amongst NFL circles referencing Brock Purdy’s achievements as the 49ers starter the last two seasons.

“He’s shown the consistency, in my own opinion, to say ‘I know who Brock Purdy is.” If it was just Brock Purdy [struggling] this year and not a whole bunch of other factors, maybe that would give me a little bit more pause on who I think he is as a quarterback. But seeing when the situation was good and how [The 49ers] expected it to be, he was always [playing] at a high level. He was playing really, really well from the time he became a starter up until this year. That to me is a pretty good body of work to say, ‘I know who Brock Purdy is.” And I’ve seen glimpses of [Purdy’s high level of play] this year.”

While we wait to see if the San Francisco 49ers pay Brock Purdy this offseason, the final three games on their schedule may go a long way to narrowing down his value.. As of now, predictions have Purdy signing for north of $60 million per season and re-setting the quarterback market.