The full details of quarterback Brock Purdy’s contract extension have finally been revealed. Nearly one week after the reports first surfaced that the 49ers and Purdy had agreed to terms on a five-year, $265 million contract extension, the exact terms tell an even more intimate story on the negotiations between the two parties.
Make no mistake about it: Brock Purdy and his team won with the headlines. The 49ers won with the details. Let it serve as the latest reminder that reported terms and vague specifics are one thing but the devil is in the details. Especially for NFL contracts.
So here’s what we now know about the cash schedule of Purdy’s first few years in San Francisco. He’ll receive a $40 million signing bonus to go along with a $1.1 million base salary in 2025 — bringing his full compensation this season to $41.1 million. It’s a hefty raise for Purdy, who was scheduled to earn less than $5.4 million in the final year of his rookie contract.
That signing bonus is tied for the 10th highest among active NFL contracts, but half of what Dak Prescott collected when he signed his fresh contract extension in Dallas last fall. As a point of comparison, Jordan Love’s signing bonus was $75 million. Jared Goff got a $73 million signing bonus. Even Kirk Cousins, on a four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta last offseason, got a $50 million signing bonus — $10 million more than Purdy.
The up front financials smile upon San Francisco. So, too, does the two-year cash schedule. Purdy’s new contract will follow up the $41.1 million he’s set to receive in 2025 with just under $47 million in cash in 2026. His two-year cash flow of just over $88 million ranks 10th among active quarterback contracts but comes up short of names like Jordan Love, Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, and Jared Goff — all of whom collect between $90-100 million in the first two years of their respective deals, which were all signed last offseason.
The two-year commitment details also smile upon the 49ers. The first two years, plus an additional $11.9 million of Purdy’s 2027 salary, is guaranteed at signing, bringing Purdy’s guaranteed at signing mark to $100 million total. That ranks 12th among active contracts and is another win in San Francisco’s case. Just short of an additional $15.5 million becomes fully guaranteed in April of 2026 — then an additional $55.05 million of 2028 salary guarantees April 1, 2027.
This makes the exit ramp for Purdy’s contract in San Francisco quite clear. The 49ers will have what is essentially a $27.25 million “buyout” in 2027 if they want to pivot away from this contract extension before the big money years arrive. By cutting ties with Purdy before April 1, 2027, the 49ers would have paid him $88 million for two seasons of play, owe him $27.25 million in guaranteed salary in severance and, as a result, avoid cash schedules of $55 million in 2028, $49.95 million in 2029 and $50 million in 2030.
All things considered, all parties should be excited about the chance to put negotiations behind them and focus on the task at hand. The 49ers are entering into a major new chapter of the football team and Purdy is being entrusted with being a central piece of the nucleus. But big numbers and flashy headlines aside, the 49ers deserve credit for securing a contract that protects them to great lengths from the risks involved if Purdy is not up to the task.
