Steve Young says 'not so fast' to a potential massive Brock Purdy deal
The San Francisco 49ers are on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. That comes as a surprise, considering they nearly won the Super Bowl last season. It also puts the 49ers in a difficult position. After two seasons where Brock Purdy played at a Pro Bowl level, he is expected to sign a massive contract extension.
Recent reports suggest that Purdy might reset the quarterback market, garnering between $50 and $60 million per year. But 49ers legend Steve Young said ‘not so fast' while appearing on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday.
“Out of the huddle, that’s his superpower, call a play, run it, and then matriculate down the field and then throw it into the end zone, or run it into the end zone,” Young said. “So in many ways in the game today, you’d say I want to make sure I have plenty of help for Brock Purdy, plenty of help for Jared Goff, plenty of help for Kirk Cousins, and I need money to do that.”
Patrick then put the screws to him, asking Young point blank if he would spend $50-60 million on Purdy.
“Look, I think that Dak Prescott, the Cowboys are going to suffer for a long time because they paid him a number that now in many ways takes from the ability to go build teams to go help you for the very thing that you need.
“So that’s the dilemma because everyone loves Brock, loves his game, and loves his efficiency and leadership and everything else, but we got to make sure we have the money to put the people with him to go win it.”
Some pundits have called Purdy simply a “game manager” who has talent all around him. It is an easy argument to make. They have Pro Bowl players all over the field, on both offense and defense.
Is 49ers QB Brock Purdy worth top dollar?
The 49ers lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs last season. But that was in no way the fault of Purdy. He balled out in the biggest game of his career. His performance is the primary reason people believe San Francisco views him as a franchise quarterback.
But Young's assessment cannot be disregarded. San Francisco is 27-13, including playoffs, when Purdy starts under center. That is a great statistic. But when you take either Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, or George Kittle off of the field, his winning percentage plummets. His touchdown-to-interception ratio also takes a nosedive.
Everyone understands that the 24-year-old signal caller does not have the strongest arm. Nor is he consistently accurate on throws outside of the numbers.
But he has the intangibles. He is crafty and uses his legs very well, especially on third down. Purdy has also shown amazing leadership from the moment he took the job as the 49ers starting quarterback. That might have been the biggest surprise, considering he was ‘Mr. Irrelevant.'
Nonetheless, the 49ers are facing some very difficult decisions this offseason.
San Francisco is set to lose a ton of talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Dre Greenlaw recently returned from a torn Achilles he suffered in the Super Bowl loss. He played well in his first game back against the Los Angeles Rams and, therefore, will surely command a large contract this offseason.
All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga is also set to hit the free agent market. Despite dealing with nagging injuries, it is highly unlikely the 49ers will be able to re-sign him. He is not the only member of the secondary that is probably departing.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward's three-year, $40 million contract expires at season's end.
San Francisco already has so much money tied up into other star players. The 49ers recently signed Deommodore Lenoir to a five-year contract extension. That came on the heels of Brandon Aiyuk's massive deal before this season kicked off.
Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Kittle, and Samuel already eat an insane amount of the salary cap.
If the 49ers give Purdy what he is looking for, as Young alluded to, you can expect a very different 49ers team next season.
