Brock Purdy could finally prove is bold Drew Brees comparison right in 2026

Most of the Drew Brees comparisons chasing Brock Purdy fixate on the surface stuff, the matching frames, and the shared lack of arm strength. Purdy sees it differently. When the San Francisco 49ers quarterback addressed the parallel, he anchored it to something harder to measure: making the players around him better.

Speaking with former NFL head coach Jason Garrett on the Coach2Coach podcast, Purdy pointed to how both he and Brees "find ways to elevate guys around us in our play and their play." 

Purdy already sits on one of the deepest weapon groups in football, and the efficiency is there to match. He has finished inside QB1 range in fantasy points per game in each of the past three years, seventh overall at 18.5, trailing only Lamar Jackson in touchdown rate per attempt while leading every quarterback at 0.21 expected points added per dropback.

The missing variable is volume. A leaky San Francisco defense could force Purdy past 500 pass attempts for the first time in his career, and that mix of elite talent, top-tier efficiency, and a career-high workload is exactly where a Baker Mayfield-style 2024 breakout was born. 

Why the 2026 Season Is the Real Test of Brock Purdy's Brees Comparison

The physical case is easy to make. Brees stood 6-foot, 209 pounds during his career with the New Orleans Saints, and Purdy measures in at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, close enough that the two nearly blur together on a scouting sheet.

Neither owned a big arm, and both got knocked for pedigree, Purdy out of Iowa State and Brees out of Purdue, yet each turned that doubt into a launching point.

But the trait Purdy keeps circling back to is toughness, and that's the part that will truly be tested over a full season.

"I love quarterbacks who are tough and they can go through and play through tough things and situations, environments, physical pain, and you still find a way to win," he told Garrett.

That's the bet for 2026. If San Francisco's defense keeps games close and shootouts pile up, Purdy won't just be asked to be efficient. He'll be asked to carry an offense play after play, absorb hits, and keep his weapons productive, the exact profile that built the Brees legacy. 

The setup is there. A stacked receiving corps, a proven efficiency baseline, and a workload that finally climbs toward 500 throws. Purdy has spent three seasons quietly hitting QB1 marks without the spotlight. 

More NFL news:

• Shedeur Sanders predicted to lose Browns QB battle as Watson favored to start despite rookie's camp push
• 49ers' secondary faces a real reckoning at camp as stribling quietly builds ROY buzz
• 49ers' cheapest bet in 2026 might be a zero-star recruit from Georgetown playing linebacker on $4.88 million
• Shedeur Sanders could thrive in Todd Monken's offense despite lacking Lamar Jackson's legs