“I want to get to that point where we get to the third quarter, there’s a couple of drives that are crucial, I’m on top of my stuff, we convert on third downs, and we score touchdowns and the lead just gets out of hand,” Brock Purdy told Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle. Statements that are bound to flame passion in any 49ers fans. However, not everyone seems convinced by these words and has even led NFL experts to question such objectives.

Purdy’s meteoric rise from the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the 49ers‘ starting quarterback has been nothing short of remarkable. In his first full season as a starter, he set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards and led the league with a 72.8 QBR. But recent events have some wondering if Purdy’s Brady-esque dreams might be a bit too lofty.

During a recent training camp practice, Purdy threw four interceptions in his final five throws. This performance sparked a heated debate on the show “First Things First” today where Nick Wright voiced his concerns. “If he does try to be something he’s not, which is prove to the world, ‘I ain’t no bus rider; I’m a bus driver,’ it’ll kneecap the Niners,” Wright argued.

Chris Broussard, however, defended Purdy, citing his impressive rookie season. “The guy that threw for 330-plus yards and three touchdowns in his playoff debut as a rookie? The guy that answered Nick’s question about the worst stretch of his career last year—three straight losses to Cincinnati, Minnesota, Cleveland—by throwing 17 touchdowns and two picks in the next six games,” Broussard countered.

Purdy himself was quick to deflect the criticisms. “Right now is the time for us to go out and … experiment,” he explained on KNBR. “Can I fit it in this window on this hitch? Can I look off Fred [Warner] or [Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles] or De’Vondre [Campbell] in a certain way and then make that throw backside?”

The young quarterback’s confidence isn’t unfounded. Last season, he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, falling just short against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. His performance even caught the eye of the GOAT himself, Tom Brady. “You don’t hear of guys like Brock Purdy until Brock Purdy’s doing amazing things out on the field,” Brady said on his “Let’s Go!” podcast.

Is the Brady factor a blessing or curse?

The Brady allusions are not limited to Purdy himself. Similarly, for instance, Skip Bayless from FS1 stated last year that Purdy is playing like “an early Tom Brady,” and NFL draft expert Todd McShay pointed out that both athletes have had similar career paths.

However, the connection between Brady and Purdy is deeper than mere analogies. In fact, before the 2023 season started, Purdy revealed that the 49ers were exploring the possibility of signing Brady as a potential starter in case Purdy did not recover from his injury issues. “When he said Tom Brady, I’m like, ‘All right, that’s cool for your sake as a head coach and for a team to bring in the best of all time,'” Purdy didn’t hold back his words. “A little bit of me was like, ‘All right, well, I’d just proven that I beat this guy this past year and that I’m good enough to take our team to, at the time, it was the NFC Championship [Game].'”

It would appear he seeks to surpass this level of performance by emulating Brady; but, the 49ers face a critical choice. Grant Cohn from Sports Illustrated said something interesting: “Makes you wonder how he’ll play when the 49ers give him $60 million per season and can’t afford to surround him with six All Pros anymore.”

It is through such a view that we see how delicate a balance there is for San Francisco though. Can Purdy go above and beyond in order to justify this huge salary? As the 2024 season approaches, all eyes will be on Brock Purdy. Will his Tom Brady dreams propel the 49ers to new heights, or will they prove to be a costly fumble?