The San Francisco 49ers will play their fourth NFC championship in five years. The credit for the team’s success goes to QB Brock Purdy and many believe that the team has been able to come this far because of Brock Purdy.
However, ex-NFL icon Greg Jennings has different views about the QB and he even suggested the team should consider replacing him.
Greg Jennings claims 49ers must replace Brock Purdy with Justin Fields
Greg Jennings, a former two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, expressed his views on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy during an appearance on FS1’s “The Carton Show.”
Jennings emphasized that Purdy, who was willing to give the starting QB position to Tom Brady, is a good quarterback but lacks the quality of being a difference-maker.
“Is he a good quarterback? Yes, he’s a good quarterback,” Jennings said. “Is he a difference-maker? No, he is not.”
Jennings suggested the team should consider parting ways with Purdy and exploring a trade for Justin Fields, who is compared with Jalen Hurts.
“If he does not win, you have to go and try to find a difference-maker at that position. A guy maybe like Justin Fields if the Chicago Bears (are trading him).”
He underscored the importance of having a difference-maker at the quarterback position, citing Fields as a potential candidate if the Bears decide to trade him.
“This was the first year he actually had skill guys around him, support up front in protection and we wanted him to be what Joe Burrow was right away, what Justin Herbert was right away when they had competency around them,” Jennings added. “This was the first year we saw Justin Fields with some competent skill guys around him and look what he did.”
The head coach of the team Kyle Shanahan is known for actively seeking talented quarterbacks. If the Chicago Bears make Fields available for the team, he might not hesitate to consider signing him.
Brock Purdy and Justin Fields stats comparison this NFL season
In the 49ers’ recent divisional-round win against the Green Bay Packers (24-21), Brock Purdy did not exhibit the qualities of a difference-maker, aligning with Greg Jennings’ critique.
Before the game-winning drive with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter, Purdy completed 17-of-32 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown. Purdy faced challenges with intermediate passes (10-19 yards), connecting on only 3-of-8 attempts for 43 yards, averaging just 5.4 yards per attempt. This performance marked the second time in Purdy’s last three games that he completed less than 60% of his passes and had a passer rating below 87.
Despite Purdy’s struggles, Fields hasn’t produced the same statistical output as Purdy this NFL season. Fields, however, faced challenges, having not been healthy for a full season and lacking the offensive line and playmakers that the 49ers have.
Even after missing four games, Fields achieved new career highs this season in completion percentage (61.4), passing yards (2,562), and passer rating (86.3). Fields demonstrated improvement with a career-low nine interceptions.
Both quarterbacks had exceptional seasons this year, but they had their own struggles as well. Brock Purdy has a long history with the 49ers, considering that, the team might not consider replacing him that easily.
