There was little drama surrounding the San Francisco 49ers‘ decision to re-sign quarterback Brock Purdy, at least according to general manager John Lynch.
Lynch recently went over the specifics about the team’s decision to bring Purdy back on a five-year, $265 million contract and why it was a “easy decision” to make this off-season.
Purdy has quarterbacked the 49ers to the NFL’s final four twice in his three seasons as starting QB, including the Niners’ narrow 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
He was extension eligible, and Lynch and the organization locked Mr. Irrelevant from the 2022 NFL Draft in as its franchise QB, though his new contract won’t kick in until 2026.
Why Did John Lynch Call Signing Brock Purdy ‘An Easy Decision?’
Lynch cited multiple factors when determining why the 49ers felt strongly about signing Purdy.
“The first thing part of it is to know he is your guy,” Lynch said on CBS Sports’ “With The First Pick” podcast. “When you’re talking about the quarterback of your franchise, everybody’s got to be all-in.
“That was a really quick thinktank. We all got together, and we all felt passionately that Brock’s the guy that we want to build around and that we want behind center for the foreseeable future and hopefully for the rest of his career.”
Purdy’s numbers don’t jump off the page, especially from 2024 since he threw 20 touchdowns and 12 INTs and only had 3,864 yards — about 400 fewer than the 2023 season where he finished fourth in NFL MVP voting.
Still, his leadership qualities and attitude have made Purdy popular in the 49ers building, and so does his 23-13 career record.
“The type of person he is, what he wants to do in our community, it was just a really easy decision,” Lynch said. “Our guys love him. Our guys pull behind him, and he’s an asset to this organization, so we were able to get a deal done. We arrived at a place where everyone was happy, and that was really good for the 49ers.”
How Do The 49ers Keep Hitting On Late-Round Picks Like Brock Purdy?
It’s hard enough to find success with first-round draft picks. But Lynch and the 49ers continue to find, ahem, gold in the late rounds of the NFL Draft — like Purdy, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Jauan Jennings and linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
“I think it goes to that cohesion and having each other’s backs,” Lynch said. “We went to great lengths to define as what’s a Niner, and more specifically, what are the traits at every position.”
The result has been unmitigated success, especially since Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017. The 49ers have won 60 games over the past six seasons, played in the Super Bowl twice and reached the NFC Championship Game in three of the past four seasons.
“Everybody is a part of the process, and when you do that, you unearth a lot of players if you have a good idea of what you’re looking for,” Lynch said. “I think that’s been part of our success there.”
But Lynch also admitted some of it is just dumb luck too.
“There’s a little bit of luck involved,” Lynch said. “The fact Brock Purdy wasn’t picked until that last pick, there’s some level of good fortune involved.”
