It is not often that a coach's brilliance overshadows a player's talent. But San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has faced his share of criticism since emerging as the franchise quarterback for exactly this reason.

However, as Purdy landed the 85th rank in the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2026, the Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby offered a strong endorsement that pushed back on such a narrative.

"Anybody who gets in that Niners system, people find a way to discredit them just because of how good Kyle Shanahan is, and they've always had a lot of talent around him," Crosby said, per an X post by SleeperNFL.

Crosby praised Purdy for standing out amid the talent around him. He also challenged the narrative of Purdy being simply the product of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s QB-focused offensive scheme.

"But you've seen Brock in his own right make some plays and do certain things that are just system-quarterback-type plays," Crosby said, per SleeperNFL's X post. "He's one of the better young quarterbacks in the league. He's talented. You see that with how great that offense is able to operate."

Although Purdy was the final pick (No. 262 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft, Crosby believes that Purdy shines in the complex play-calling system of Shanahan, as a "point-guard" keeping the offense unit more balanced.

Purdy completed 197 of 284 passes for 2,167 yards, 10 interceptions, and 20 touchdowns in 2025. The 49ers ranked at No. 7 in the overall offense and No. 5 in overall passing offense in the league for the 2025 season, proving Crosby's claim of Purdy leading the offense.

Along with Crosby, Purdy's highlight reel also featured his teammates, 49ers tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who were only too happy to hype up their QB.

"He [Purdy] has such a quiet confidence about him. There's so many little things that go into being the quarterback of the Niners," Juszczyk said. "And he handles all of that just so well."

Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated believes that if the Raiders traded Crosby before the regular season begins, Crosby wouldn't mind playing under a versatile signal caller like Purdy.

Analyst predicts Maxx Crosby would choose the 49ers

Grant Cohn of SI.com believes that Crosby would prefer playing for the 49ers with Purdy rather than the Philadelphia Eagles.

"In addition, another team, such as the Eagles, could outbid the 49ers for Crosby," Cohn wrote in his article. "Still, if Crosby had his wishes, I'm guessing he'd prefer to play with Purdy as opposed to Jalen Hurts, who got outplayed by Purdy in the playoffs last season."

The Niners beat the Eagles 23-19 in the NFC Wild Card round of the postseason on January 11. Purdy led the 49ers with a final 4-yard touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey.

Cohn believes that Crosby would be a seamless fit in the 49ers' defensive system, giving the Niners a legitimate weapon that would place them as a Super Bowl contender.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit