By now you've probably heard that Sunday's matchup between the Buccaneers and 49ers will feature 45-year old Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all-time, against 22-year old rookie Brock Purdy, the last pick (aka Mr. Irrelevant) in the 2022 NFL Draft.
It's the most lopsided QB matchup on paper in NFL history, from stats to career earnings, and maybe even Twitter followers and retirements. In case you can't tell, we don't always take ourselves too seriously around here, so let's dive in on this whacky tale of the tape. Enjoy the ride!
The basicsTom Brady
45
23rd
6'4"
225
Michigan
2000 (6th round, 199th overall)
Brock Purdy
22
1st
6'1"
220
Iowa State
2022 (7th round, 262nd overall)
Purdy is 22 years old and was born Dec. 27, 1999, leaving him five days shy of being the first quarterback born in the 2000s to face Tom Brady. That honor will have to wait. He was still just three months old when Brady was drafted 199th overall in 2000, making this the largest age gap in a starting QB matchup in NFL history, with Brady being 45 years old.
Scouting reports on both quarterbacks praised their pocket presence with concerns on arm strength.
Here's ESPN's Mel Kiper's scouting report on Brady in 2000:
"He's a straight dropback passer who stands tall in the pocket, doesn't show nervous feet, and does a nice job working through his progressions."
Our own Chris Trapasso wrote this in his pre-draft scouting report on Purdy.
"Surprising athletic twitch... will elude some defenders with his change-of-direction ability... shows good pocket movement skills... anticipatory throwing skill masks some of his arm-strength deficiencies."
Purdy doesn't have an immortalized NFL Scouting Combine photo like Brady, but as Mr. Irrelevant, he can find inspiration from Brady's success as a sixth-round pick in 2000. Both were unknowns entering the league, so if Brady could win a Super Bowl in his first year as a starter with nobody giving him a chance, then you can't rule out Purdy taking this loaded San Francisco team on a title run. If Purdy could somehow pull that off, it could top even Brady's underdog story, and be a 30 for 30 film that writes itself.
Perhaps my favorite nugget about this matchup: Brady has started against a quarterback from 35 different draft classes, from Doug Flutie in 1985 to Purdy in 2022. Flutie (11th round, 285th overall pick in 1985) is actually the lowest-drafted QB Brady has ever faced, not Purdy.
Career numbersThere's a tiny disparity here, but Purdy can close the gap on Sunday (chuckle). Brady is the NFL's all-time wins, touchdown passes and passing yards leader, among other categories. If Purdy throws two touchdown passes every game like he did in Week 13, he could pass Brady in 2040. Let's not not forget, though, that Purdy has never lost. Sure, he's never started a game, but let's not let the facts get in the way a good note. He has 204 fewer interceptions than Brady and has been sacked 558 fewer times. He also has one fewer retirement.
Tom Brady
23
330
249-79
87,852
640
206
97.3
Brock Purdy
1
4
0-0
276
2
2
76.0
Playoff numbersBrady has won 35 playoff games in his career, as many as the 49ers franchise in their storied history. It's also 35 more wins than Purdy has, who will probably be counted on if San Francisco reached the postseason, with Jimmy Garoppolo's playoff availability unlikely. Brady also has 12 more playoff losses and three more Super Bowl losses than Purdy, so it's not all doom-and-gloom!
Tom Brady
35-12
7
5
86
39
90.4
Brock Purdy
0-0
0
0
0
0
0
Career earningsBrady has earned $333 million dollars in his NFL career, not including endorsements, the most in league history. Purdy has yet to make his first million. Brady's game check this year ($882K) is more than what Purdy has made in his career up to this point ($782K).
Purdy does have one edge here, though. Thanks to inflation, his first contract, a four-year deal worth $3.7 million, is larger than Brady's first contract from 2000-02, which was a three-year deal worth $867K.
Career earnings
$333.0M
$782K
Current contract
1-yr/$15M
4-yr/$3.7M
2022 salary
$15M
$782K
2022 per game salary
$882K
$46K
Blunders Tom Brady: forgot what down it was in 2020 loss to Bears Brock Purdy: handed off ball in wrong direction in Week 11Purdy's career didn't get off to a good start after handing the ball off in the wrong direction in mop up duty on "Monday Night Football" in Week 11. But hey, at least he didn't get confused about what down it was, like Brady in 2020. And Purdy's blooper is now a footnote compared with the fact that he's the 49ers starting quarterback.
Fun factsA few more facts for the road. Purdy can become the first QB to ever beat Tom Brady in his first career start (he's the seventh to have a chance).
Brady has literally re-written the record books. Tom Brady is mentioned 232 times in the 2022 NFL Fact and Record Book.