San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy could hit the trade rumor mill as a contract year awaits in 2025.
That’s the position of Sports Illustrated “All 49ers” writer Gran Cohen, who has been covering the team since 2011. Purdy put up MVP-worthy numbers and led the team to a Super Bowl, but success and stability are fleeting in the NFL.
“The 49ers haven’t committed themselves long-term to Brock Purdy just yet,” Cohn wrote. “He still has one more season before he’s eligible for a contract extension. And if he wins the Super Bowl, of course the 49ers will give him an extremely lucrative one. But what if he fails to win the Super Bowl for the third season in a row? What would the 49ers do then?”
Purdy’s services already has a meteoric market value of $50.9 million annually according to Spotrac. The 49ers have the fifth-best projected salary cap situation for 2026, per Spotrac, which could bode well down the road. However, $50.9 million is a hefty price for any team — especially a star-laden Super Bowl contender.
“And if the 49ers can’t win a Super Bowl while Purdy is making roughly $1 million per season, how will they win one if he’s making roughly $60 million per season? They ultimately could decide that he was the best quarterback for them while he’s on a rookie deal, but at a higher price point they’d be better off with someone else,” Cohn wrote.
San Francisco didn’t add a quarterback to pass the torch to from Purdy this offseason. The 49ers kept Brandon Allen and added Joshua Dobbs as another backup.
That’s a year after having former No. 3 picks Trey Lance and Sam Darnold on the roster before the season. San Francisco traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in August 2023, and Darnold left in free agency for the Minnesota Vikings in March.
Brock Purdy: ‘It’s a Business’
Purdy understands what’s at stake in 2024 as his rookie contract nears conclusion. However, he’s focused on the field.
“It’s a business, obviously, too,” Purdy told reporters in April. “But for me, I love this game. I love just competing with these guys in this organization. I love this organization, and I want to continue to represent myself for them, and in the right way. So that’s where I’m at with that. Getting too caught up in all that kind of stuff is, for me, that’s nonsense. So, just taking it one day at a time and getting better.”
Dak Prescott Floated as Trade Idea
Ironically, the 49ers could go for the quarterback whom Lance sits behind now.
Cohn suggests Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott as a possible trade candidate. Prescott remains in a contract standoff with the Cowboys, which could make 2024 his final season in Dallas.
While Cohn suggested the idea, the 49ers wouldn’t get into a better salary cap situation necessarily. Prescott could command a $53.1 million annually, per Spotrac, if he enters free agency next year.
In addition, Prescott is 30, and he has fewer playoff wins than Purdy at only two games. Purdy has four in his young career.
Kirk Cousins Finally Reunites With Kyle Shanahan?
Cohn also floated Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins as a possibility, but again, a massive contract stands in the way.
The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in March. San Francisco would be hard-pressed to make a deal work, but Atlanta would get to pair Purdy with another promising young quarterback in Michael Penix Jr.
That said, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has worked with Cousins in the past during their Washington days as Cohn highlighted. Shanahan tried to trade for Cousins in 2017, which didn’t come to fruition. A much bigger price tag would await in 2025.
Cousins, 35, is coming off of an Achilles injury in 2023.
