Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice knows what an elite quarterback looks like. The Hall of Famer played with three quarterbacks who won the Most Valuable Player award and has caught a touchdown pass from five others that made at least one Pro Bowl in their career.
Rice praised current 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy when he spoke with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero at the Senior Bowl. Rice was there watching his son, Brenden, who played wide receiver at USC for four years, practice ahead of this weekend’s game.
Jerry Rice Likes Brock Purdy’s Game
There’s a lot of talk about whether Purdy is a game manager or not, even though he made the Pro Bowl and led San Francisco to the Super Bowl this season.
Rice said, “Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, supposed to be that, I guess that game manager, that’s what they keep saying. I feel like he’s an elite quarterback.”
Rice was asked about why Purdy is able to rise in big moments. “I think it’s leadership. The players are going to rally behind him 100 percent.”
With San Francisco trailing by 17 points in the second half, Purdy responded and led the 49ers to a win against the Detroit Lions and a Super Bowl appearance. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 174 yards with a touchdown, along with 49 rush yards in the second half.
Rice added, “You watch him back there in the pocket, his velocity on the football. He knows where he wants to throw the ball.”
Purdy has completed 68% of his passes with 47 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in his 26 career starts, including playoff games.
The 13-time Pro Bowl WR mentioned how Purdy is similar to two former 49ers quarterbacks who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rice said, “He makes plays, man, like a (Joe) Montana, like a Steve Young. Just a down-to-earth person who wants to win. He’s going to do everything he can to get that victory.”
Rice Knows Elite Quarterbacks
In 303 career games, Rice caught 197 touchdowns from 14 different quarterbacks. He played with Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Rich Gannon when they won MVP awards. Montana and Young are with Rice in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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In 14 of his 20 seasons, Rice played with a Pro Bowl QB. Montana, Young, Gannon, and Jeff Garcia combined to make 14 Pro Bowls with Rice on their team. Steve Bono, Trent Dilfer, Elvis Grbac, and Matt Hasselbeck, meanwhile, all threw at least one touchdown pass to Rice and made a Pro Bowl during their careers.
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