San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York made headlines earlier this month when he called Brock Purdy a top-10 NFL quarterback. The timing raised eyebrows, as the team is currently engaged in contract negotiations with Purdy. Some speculated that York's comments could bolster the quarterback's case at the bargaining table.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area joined KNBR on Friday and was asked whether York's remarks may have negatively affected the 49ers in negotiations.
"I don't think so," Maiocco replied. "I think that Brock Purdy's performance is what his side is using for these negotiations."
Maiocco pointed out that York's top-10 quarterback comment was partially based on Purdy's fit within Kyle Shanahan's system and the talent surrounding him in San Francisco.
An optimistic York also said, "I have every hope and every expectation that Brock is going to be a Forty-Niner for a long, long time."
Publicly declaring Purdy a top-10 quarterback likely won't significantly influence his market value. Most expect Purdy's new deal to exceed $51 million annually, a figure the 49ers have been preparing for. This offseason, the team parted ways with several key contributors to reduce future spending and make room for what's expected to be the largest contract in franchise history.
Maiocco noted that Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles currently ranks as the 10th highest-paid quarterback, with an annual salary of $51 million, suggesting that number could possibly serve as a benchmark for Purdy's deal.
Of course, Purdy's camp may see things differently. After all, Hurts signed his deal in 2023.
"Since then, the salary cap has risen dramatically," Maiocco explained. "And so, I'm sure Brock Purdy's side is looking at it like, 'Okay, that was $51 million, but that was when the cap was there, so therefore, that represents that percentage of the salary cap, and that percentage of the salary cap now is this high.' So it's, it's a back and forth."
In 2023, the NFL salary cap was $224.8 million per team, meaning Hurts' $51 million salary represented roughly 22.7% of that total. Applying that same percentage to the current $279.2 million cap would result in an annual salary just north of $63 million, surpassing the NFL-leading salary of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
While it's unlikely the 49ers go that high, the comparison remains intriguing as both sides continue working toward a long-term deal. Maiocco expressed doubt that the final number will reach $60 million per year, but could it come in as low as $50 million?
"I kind of doubt that, too," Maiocco said. "I think it's got to be somewhere there, but that's still a lot of room. That's a $9 million span of where that thing could fit in."
Maiocco added, "When you have a player like that, that checks all the boxes and that everybody loves, and he's been underpaid, I think something will get done. I'd be really surprised if it doesn't. And I would think that, organized team activities, when they're getting on the field, all that, that would be probably the time that both sides would come together and say, 'Let's stop fooling around here, and let's just get something done.'"
You can listen to Maiocco's entire interview below.
