When the San Francisco 49ers spent the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Iowa State's Brock Purdy, it's highly unlikely they anticipated having to eventually pay him a king's ransom. To be fair though, they also probably didn't expect Mr. Irrelevant to ever take a snap for them but when both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance went down in 2022, Purdy stepped in and did amazing things at the quarterback position.
That led to Purdy winning the starting job in 2023 where he started all but one game (the season finale where the Niners rested most of their starters for the playoffs) and at one point, was a strong MVP candidate. Purdy helped lead San Francisco to its second Super Bowl appearance in four years where they unfortunately came up short.
Be that as it may, Purdy is entering the last season before he's eligible for an extension and assuming he continues to lead the charge as well as he has been, he's going to make bank. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel said on his podcast with Dianna Russini that Purdy stands to make at least $55 million if he continues to look like the player he has been in his first two years.
"He's due for at least a $55 million a year contract if he plays the way he played the last two years."
Daniel also mentioned how if Dak Prescott is going to receive $60 million a year from the Cowboys or whoever decides to pay him, why shouldn't Purdy get more? It's hard to argue with that considering that Purdy has helped lead the Niners to an NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl during his two years on the job. Prescott has failed to get to an NFC title game a single time during his career.
Chase Daniel props up Brock Purdy ahead of massive season
Daniel and Russini aren't the first to discuss a potential massive deal for the former seventh-round pick. ESPN's Bill Barnwell thinks Purdy can make $65 million a year but would Purdy really want to break the bank? Signing these massive deals will make it difficult to keep the talented playmakers in San Francisco and Purdy surely knows that.
Even with that being the case, Purdy was a seventh-round pick who is making under a million dollars despite leading the team to back-to-back NFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance. That's the best bargain in football right now and it's not even close.
The good news is that the 49ers don't have to make this decision right now. They can see how Purdy performs in 2024 and if he continues to lead them to great things, then they'll have a decision to make. If he flounders in his third season, then they'll avoid paying him a massive chunk of change and find someone else to run the offense.
It's going to be a massive season for Brock Purdy so let's see if he can ball out and earn himself that kind of contract.
