49ers CB Jack Jones Says QB Isn’t Toughest Job, Uses Brock Purdy as Proof

Jack Jones referenced Cam Newton's "game manager" take on Brock Purdy to explain why quarterback is not the hardest position on a football team.

49ers CB Jack Jones Says QB Isn’t Toughest Job, Uses Brock Purdy as Proof

Brock Purdy, Cam Newton and Jack Jones (Image via IMAGO)

Brock Purdy cannot seem to shake off the “game manager” tag, given to him by Cam Newton. It’s one thing for someone like Newton, who is no longer active in the NFL, to call Purdy a game manager, but for his own San Francisco 49ers teammate to view him in the same light could lead to a point of conflict in the locker room.

The player in question is cornerback Jack Jones. On a recent episode of the Caps Off podcast, the host asked Jones to describe the reasons behind playing quarterback as the hardest job on a football team. Jones calmly replied that QB is the second hardest position, right after DB.

To prove his point, he spoke about the way the 49ers use Purdy to great effect by taking a page out of Newton’s book.

You can make quarterback easy to play, and I think that was Cam Newton’s argument about Brock Purdy. They were making quarterback easy for him to play. You can hand the ball off 20 times to [Christian] McCaffrey and then dump it off 10 times to Christian McCaffrey and then dump it off 10 more times to George Kittle. Now it’s like, ‘Wow, he has these crazy stats, but it’s like he hasn’t done anything.’ This is no knock on Brock Purdy, I just used him as an example because Cam [Newton] brought that up.

Jack Jones said

Purdy led the Niners to consecutive NFC title games and a Super Bowl, posting exceptional numbers. However, Newton championed the system run by Kyle Shanahan and the players around Purdy. Despite receiving backlash, the former NFL MVP doubled down on his earlier take.

I’ve never said that Brock Purdy was trash. What I did say is Brock Purdy is a game manager. That’s not hate. That’s just what I feel to be facts. But I still reserve the right to say this: To be labeled a game changer, Brock Purdy has to be the best player on the offensive side of the ball, and that’s not the case.

Newton said

As for Jones, he said those things about Purdy before signing with the 49ers earlier this week. Jones has made a total of 58 appearances in the NFL for three teams: the Patriots, the Raiders, and the Dolphins.

In those games, he has racked up 213 combined tackles, 33 pass deflections, eight interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. In 2025, he posted 77 combined tackles, 2 forced recoveries, 6 pass defenses, and one interception.

Brock Purdy receives disappointing news ahead of the NFL draft

The NFL draft is set to commence at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on April 23-25. San Fran ended up with the 27th overall pick in the aftermath of finishing with a 12-5 record last campaign.

49ers CB Jack Jones Says QB Isn’t Toughest Job, Uses Brock Purdy as Proof
Brock Purdy (Image via IMAGO)

With big question marks surrounding Trent Williams‘ future, the Niners’ chances of drafting his replacement in the draft are very high. However, Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes that the Niners will not take an offensive lineman in the first round.

Caleb Lomu [Utah] is often mocked to the 49ers at 27… They don’t have the luxury of bringing in a [Caleb] Lomu and developing him for a couple of years behind Trent Williams. Would that be a smart move down the line? Yes, but I’m feeling like the 49ers think that the difference between Lomu and the guy they can get at the end of the fourth round is not a huge difference. I have a hard time thinking it’s gonna be an offensive tackle.

Barrows wrote

Besides Williams, Jake Brendel and Colton McKivitz started frequently for the 49ers, protecting both Purdy and Mac Jones in 2025.

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