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Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice sees flashes of Joe Montana in quarterback Brock Purdy.
Rice caught passes from the 49ers great for six seasons in the 1980s. Purdy didn’t come to 49ers with the same amount of fanfare as Montana, but the former Mr. Irrelevant has impressed Rice thus far.
“Brock reminds me a lot of Montana. His coolness, he doesn’t get rattled, and you need your quarterback to be that way,” Rice said about Purdy during “The Warner House” podcast on Tuesday.
Purdy has a 10-3 record, and he completes 69.8% of his passes amid 3,795 yards and 29 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. That rivals any of Montana’s best seasons with the 49ers, and Purdy could finish with a higher quarterback rating, 119.0, than Montana’s career high of 112.4 in a full season.
Jerry Rice: ‘I Think Both Guys’
Things could culminate in an MVP for Purdy, which Montana won twice. However, it might go to 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey instead.
It would make him the first non-quarterback from the 49ers to win MVP. That’s an award that eluded Rice in his career as it has for every wide receiver before and since, but Rice would gladly see McCaffrey and/or Purdy win it.
“I think both guys,” Rice told podcast host and 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. “… It’s amazing because you see how valuable CMC [McCaffrey] is if he’s not in the game, and also, Brock Purdy.”
“We always talk about that missing piece and you have to be also part of a chain,” Rice continued. “And if you’re a weak link in that chain, you’re not going to have success, you’re not going to win football games, you’re not going to win championships.
“I don’t see us winning a championship without Brock Purdy. I don’t see us winning a championship without CMC. So I don’t know how this is gonna unfold, but I think both guys really deserve it, man,” Rice concluded.
McCaffrey has been dominant this season with 1,269 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground plus another 509 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.
Brock Purdy Recounts Interaction With Jerry Rice
Before the 49ers’ last home against the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy interacted with Rice during warmups.
“Yeah, it was cool. I sort of just got a pat on the back and I looked over and it was Jerry and just dapped him up and he just said, ‘ball out today.’ Sort of just kept it simple,” Purdy told reporters on December 14.
“But the fact that he did that and came over as I was warming up, that was pretty cool. Obviously, he’s an idol to many and a legend here as a 49er,” Purdy added. “To be able to play in the same organization as him is really special, so that was cool.”
Purdy acknowledged he’s also talked with Montana and fellow former 49ers quarterback great Steve Young.
“When they’ve come to games, I’ve talked to them in person a little bit. But not in terms of calling or anything,” Purdy said.
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