NFL Exec Blasts Sam Howell; 'Not a Good Sign When' Comparing to 49ers' Brock Purdy

It's a new era in Washington with a new and improved ownership group in charge.

But it may be the dawn of a new day on the field as well with young signal caller Sam Howell taking over as the Commanders' starting quarterback following a year in which he spent most of his time on the bench.

Now, the 22-year-old, former fifth-round pick will have an opportunity to take over the reins after just one start in 2022. Though not everyone is that excited to see Howell getting the starting job.

Following his start against the Dallas Cowboys last season, coach Ron Rivera compared Howell to San Francisco 49ers' starter Brock Purdy, which raised some red flags for league executives.

"Couldn't you pick someone better than Brock Purdy to compare him to?" one exec told The Athletic's Mike Sando.

"It's not a good sign when they are comparing him to the guy in San Francisco," another added.

In that game against Dallas, Howell completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception, not exactly setting the world ablaze, but showing some signs of promise.

And now, he's entered training camp ahead of Jacoby Brissett on the depth chart.

It does seem that Washington signed Brissett as a potential insurance policy, bringing in the veteran signal caller on a one-year, $8 million deal this offseason.

While the executives may not agree, a comparison to Purdy is actually a pretty glowing one considering that the former Mr. Irrelevant went from a virtual unknown to one of the best starters in the NFL. He led San Francisco to an appearance in the NFC Championship game in his rookie season, ultimately tearing his UCL early on in the matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Purdy, 23, went 5-0 as a starter in the regular season after taking over from an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. He completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards to go along with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.