The San Francisco 49ers are in reload mode. After falling short of a Super Bowl title in 2023 and finishing 6-11 last season, the franchise is hitting the reset button as they look to return to the top. And for the first time as a member of the 49ers, quarterback Brock Purdy is eligible for a contract extension. Extending Purdy will be a major priority for the team as it looks to lock in their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.
But signing him will not come cheap. In fact, one insider believes that Purdy will sign a contract that will pay him north of $50 million per season, making him one of the league’s highest paid quarterbacks.
Taking a look at a potential Purdy contract
The last pick of the 2022 draft, Purdy was not expected to amount to much in league– given the track record of former Mr. Irrelevant picks. But Purdy became an anomaly, not only taking over the starting job midway through his rookie season, but he led the 49ers to an NFC championship game appearance that same season followed by a Super Bowl berth the following year. And despite having somewhat of a down year in 2024, Diana Russini of The Athletic reported that Purdy earned himself a big contract, with $50 million possibly the bare minimum of what he will get.
“I think $50 million is the floor,” Russini said on a podcast. “I think it probably finishes at $52 million, maybe $53 million.”
Purdy’s rookie contract does not expire until after the 2025 season but since he plays the most important position in football, the 49ers are looking to secure his long term future ahead of time so that his contract situation does not become a long term issue.
Comparing a potential Purdy deal to other NFL quarterbacks
While Purdy was not a high draft pick and some consider his success to be a product of the talent around him, there is no denying that Purdy’s winning ways in his first two seasons have warranted him the chance to be the 49ers’ franchise quarterback. In fact, while Purdy came up short in his quest to bring glory back to San Francisco, Russini alluded to the contracts of the league’s other quarterbacks as a basis for giving Purdy the big bucks.
“I’m guessing that’s the number Brock Purdy and his agent want,” Russini added. “And they’ll point to Tua Tagovailoa who’s getting paid $53.1 million per season by the Dolphins. I doubt Purdy will accept getting paid less than Tua unless Purdy decides to give the 49ers a discount.”
But Purdy has proven that while his contract is certainly of concern, he is unlikely to create a problem during the negotiation process and will possess a ‘business as usual’ mindset.
“Haven’t we seen quarterbacks over time make the business decision that helps their cause or the business decision that is more team-oriented?” Russini said. “All those years, Tom Brady in New England, we saw him taking less money to help figure out ways to make the team better around him. I think that Brock Purdy is the type that knows that they can win, they’ve got the right head coach, he’s got the ability, they’ve got their core people but they need to be able to pay other guys. And does anything about Purdy tell you that he’s going to go out and cause all this ruckus and noise?”
