Jim Harbaugh eager to meet Brock Purdy during 49ers-Chargers joint practice

Quarterback Brock Purdy has plenty of fans within the San Francisco 49ers organization. He also has admirers outside the team, including former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh spoke to reporters Tuesday morning ahead of the scheduled joint practice between the 49ers and Chargers in El Segundo, California. The two teams will also meet Thursday night at SoFi Stadium for a preseason game.

Harbaugh made it clear that Purdy is one player he is eager to meet and hopes 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan can facilitate an introduction.

"I want to meet Brock Purdy," Harbaugh said, per Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group. "Hopefully, Kyle introduces him to me."

Harbaugh loves the way Purdy plays the game.

"His timing, his decision-making, his accuracy," the Chargers coach said. "I just like how cool he is, how cool he plays, and all that. Kind of the same way I think of Kyle, the cool stuff he puts on tape. I love his demeanor. I love the toughness of his teams. I love that they're really good at football. Great to be around them."

This will be the second joint practice for the 49ers, who held a session with the Tennessee Titans last week ahead of their preseason matchup.

Purdy is entering his fifth NFL season and has completed 67.9% of his career passes for 11,685 yards, 84 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions. He is 147 pass attempts away from qualifying for the NFL's all-time leaderboard with a career passer rating of 104.0. If he maintains that mark, it would rank first in league history, ahead of Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson (both at 102.2).

While some continue to diminish Purdy's accomplishments, arguing that the quarterback benefits more from Shanahan's offensive scheme and the talented weapons around him than the other way around, Harbaugh clearly has a high level of respect for the 26-year-old quarterback.

Harbaugh's eagerness to meet Purdy during Tuesday's joint practice is another indication that the 49ers quarterback has earned plenty of respect around the NFL.