Brock Purdy, the ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ of last year’s NFL Draft, was the headline selection to this season’s Pro Bowl rosters after the teams were announced on Wednesday.
Purdy, who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the final pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, was voted to his first every appearance by receiving the most votes from fans and was named as the starting quarterback for the National Football Conference (NFC) as a result.
The 24-year-old has had a remarkable second year in the NFL, leading the 49ers to the No. 1 seed in the NFC with 4,280 passing yards, 33 total touchdowns and just 11 interceptions through 16 games. He was one of the favorites to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award this season until a recent two-game 49ers losing streak where he has fallen away.
Purdy is one of nine San Francisco players to be named to the Pro Bowl – the most from any team in the NFL – one of which is fellow MVP contender Christian McCaffrey.
The running back has also enjoyed a stellar 2023 season, running for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns and 564 yards and seven touchdowns through the air. The 27-year-old finished second overall in fan votes.
Purdy and McCaffrey are joined by fullback Kyle Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle, offensive tackle Trent Williams, defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Charvarius Ward.
The Baltimore Ravens – the No. 1 seed in the American Football Conference (AFC) – lead the conference with the most selections with seven, chief amongst those being quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson has seen himself return to his dominant best and is now the favorite to win MVP for the second time.
However, Jackson wasn’t named as the starter for the AFC, with the honor instead going to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa instead.
Tagovailoa has spearheaded the NFL’s highest scoring offense and is on course to play in every single game this season – a feat he’s not achieved so far in his three previous years in the NFL after suffering with injuries and concussions.
With two first-time starting quarterbacks in Purdy and Tagovailoa named for the Pro Bowl, it marks the first time that both starting quarterbacks on the initial Pro Bowl roster were first-time selections since the 2000 Pro Bowl following the 1999 season when Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner were named.
Twenty-eight teams had at least one player selected and 21 of those had multiple players chosen.
While many players have been rewarded for their excellent seasons, there are some high-profile snubs from the rosters.
Chief among them was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen who, despite a slow start to the season, has kicked into gear and is on the brink of leading his team into the playoffs yet again.
The NFC vs. AFC flag football game to end the Pro Bowl weekend will be played on Sunday, February 4, after days of skill challenges which will pit the best of the sport against each other in a series of skill tests.
The Pro Bowl will be held in Orlando for the first time in three years, and the two teams will be coached by brothers and former NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning.
The rosters were chosen through a series of votes from fans, players and coaches, with each group’s vote counting as one-third toward determining the players selected.
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