Over the last two seasons and change, Brock Purdy has become one of the better Cinderella stories in recent memory.
The San Francisco 49ers took him with the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft, which led to him being an afterthought when the season started. But injuries to starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garoppolo led to Purdy taking the starting job in Week 13, and he quickly impressed many.
But even though he was named to the Pro Bowl and took the Niners to the brink of a Vince Lombardi Trophy during the 2023 season, he continues to have many doubters who think he’s nothing more than a beneficiary of the team’s great talent and the wizardry of head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Some even feel the Niners should trade him right now instead of giving him a big contract extension. Controversial sports talk show host Craig Carton suggested that they trade Purdy to the New York Giants and then scoop up future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers in free agency.
After his sensational 2023 campaign, Purdy saw his numbers dip in 2024, particularly his touchdown percentage and passing accuracy. At least some of that dip in his production could be attributed to the gnarly rash of injuries the Niners suffered that led to them finishing 7-10 and missing the playoffs.
If he went to New York, he wouldn’t exactly have the cast of weapons San Francisco has. New York’s only viable playmaker is wide receiver Malik Nabers, who just had an excellent rookie year, and its offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL.
At the same time, it would give the Giants the franchise quarterback they have been starving for, while also allowing them to address other roster needs with the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft.
Meanwhile, the Niners would have a year, possibly two, of Rodgers, who grew up a fan of the team in Northern California. But once Rodgers leaves, the team would then be in need of a franchise quarterback, and such players don’t exactly grow on trees.
Even if the Giants agreed to send San Francisco their No. 3 overall pick as part of this mock trade, there’s no guarantee it would yield a legitimate star signal-caller for San Francisco.