FEBRUARY 10: 49ers owner Jed York confirmed (via Josh Dubow of the Associated Press) the team has recently been in touch with Purdy’s agent regarding extension negotiations. He confirmed a deal stays the organization’s goal, so it can be interesting to see if talks progress within the near future or if this example drags out deep into the offseason.
FEBRUARY 9: Up to now, we could have mentioned 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy as an extension “candidate,” but based on Diana Russini of The Athletic, an “extension is inevitable.” While there was initially some intrigue across the situation attributable to the team’s sooner than expected elimination for the postseason, Russini assures everyone that the team has all the time planned on extending Purdy, never wavering on him as their franchise quarterback. Here’s how they came and what an extension may seem like.
Purdy has been the very best bargain deal of the past three years. As Mr. Irrelevant of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy has been letting the Niners off easy along with his four-year, $3.74MM rookie contract. Now that Purdy is finally eligible for an extension, he’ll be a bargain no more. There are various opinions, though, on just what an extension could seem like for the 25-year-old.
Since taking up because the team’s starting quarterback in Week 13 of his rookie season, Purdy has secured a 23-13 regular season record and a 4-2 postseason record en path to two berths within the conference championship and a Super Bowl appearance. Within the time since his first start, Purdy ranks fourth amongst all quarterbacks in QBR (70.2), third in passing yards (9,452), first in yards per attempt (8.9), and seventh in touchdown passes (64). He’s also recorded probably the most games with a 120-plus passer rating (13) and 130-plus passer rating (10) of any quarterback in NFL history through his first three seasons.
The one thing that would limit Purdy’s income potential is a down 2024 season. While still putting forth a robust performance, Purdy, like the remainder of his team, took a step back this 12 months. He accomplished a career-worst 65.9 percent of his passes, failed to succeed in 4,000 passing yards, and only threw 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Moreover, Purdy understands that the more he makes, the less good players can surround him. With offensive stars like tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, in addition to defensive playmakers like linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, taking over the highest portions of the salary cap, Purdy may must be mindful of just how much his salary could affect that.
In response to Dan Graziano of ESPN, some league sources imagine that his contract might be built around that of Daniel Jones from two years ago (4 years, $160MM). Adjusted for inflation, Graziano predicted a four-year, $196MM deal with $112MM guaranteed at the top of January, which might slot Purdy at tenth in average annual salary for quarterbacks. Every week later, Graziano’s sources were making the case that Purdy’s deal should give you the chance to rival the likes of those for players like Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in salary. While Lawrence doesn’t have the supporting solid Purdy does, Purdy has achieved way more within the regular and postseason. Still, Lawrence signed an extension last 12 months that made him the highest-paid quarterback within the NFL on the time with $275MM over five years with $142MM guaranteed.
Now, are the 49ers going to offer Purdy $55MM per 12 months, too, and even match or top Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott at the highest of the pay scale with $60MM per 12 months? Probably not. But these projections give us the idea for where negotiations could start. Either side have cards they might play during those discussions, as well. Purdy has seen loads of examples from his teammates on holdout for a brand new contract, something he mentioned could also be a possibility, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The 49ers, however, have the flexibility to use the franchise tag to him; they might even threaten to do it twice in a row for cheaper than the possible average salary he could eventually make.
Regardless, the consensus appears to be that, in some unspecified time in the future soon, Purdy will give you the chance to secure his future within the Bay Area. We’ll soon see just how well-financed that future will probably be, but regardless, Purdy won’t likely be the cut price he has been over the past three years for long.
