The San Francisco 49ers look ready to make Brock Purdy their QB of the future, but they may need to act fast to get it done right.
While the 2024 season has clearly been a frustrating one for San Francisco, Purdy has been fine. Extending him seems like the most likely plan for the 49ers, but The Athletic columnist Mike Silver thinks the team needs to commit quickly.
In a recent Athletic podcast, Silver talked about a potential $60-million-a-year deal for Purdy. While he doesn’t know if the number is right, he thinks the Niners can’t waste time.
“I would say yes and I think Kyle [Shanahan] decided that long ago. Like Christmas two years ago, honestly, when he was thrown in,” Silver responded when asked if Purdy was worth a mega extension. “But this is a new world, right? And so instead of having this collection of highly-paid, in-their-prime All-Stars, and a quarterback on the cheapest rookie deal ever — whether its [$60 million] or not, I don’t know — I would just urge the 49ers, based on recent history, figure it out and do it quick. Like do it early. Don’t make this a thing that drags out based on how that’s affected them.”
San Francisco has seen what issues delays can bring, best evidenced by two of their most important players.
San Francisco Stars Struggle After Holdouts
Holdouts are a natural thing when big contracts are being negotiated. They’re not ideal, but they happen. However, the 49ers have twice been bitten by holdouts in recent years with DE Nick Bosa and WR Brandon Aiyuk.
Bosa held out for 44 days in 2023 to get his $170 million deal. While he still had a solid 2023 season with 10.5 sacks, that was a significant drop off from the 18.5 and 15.5-sack seasons he had in 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Not getting negotiations until early September clearly mattered, as Bosa only totaled 1 sack over the 49ers’ first four games last season.
Aiyuk is an even better example, as his $120 million contract was followed up by a lackluster season and injury. Over the first four games, the 26-year-old receiver totaled just 167 receiving yards and did not score.
His ACL and MCL tear only further highlighted his lack of a preseason with the Niners.
Purdy Regresses in 2024
In a season riddled by injuries, how much blame should be put on Purdy? He has clearly regressed, but he’s been working without names like RB Christian McCaffrey and Aiyuk for most of the season.
After 31 touchdowns and 11 INTs in 17 games last year, Purdy has 13 TDs and 8 picks in 2024. He’s also averaging less yards per attempt (8.4 compared to 2023’s 9.6) as well as averaging less yards per game with 246.1 passing yards per game.
There’s no question that Purdy hasn’t been as good. It just comes down to why. In many ways, this season feels like a cursed one for San Francisco.
But the 49ers has a major decision with Purdy and he hasn’t played at a high enough level to leave no doubt about a deal. Either way, the 2025 offseason will likely focus around Purdy’s future deal.
