When Brock Purdy got an unexpected opportunity as a rookie in 2022, it put the San Francisco 49ers in an uniquely enviable position. It's one thing to have a capable starting quarterback on a rookie contract, but Purdy was "Mr. Irrelevant," the final pick in the draft, signed to a four-year deal worth less than $4 million coming into the league.
Until this year, Purdy's base salary has not topped $1 million. He has been able to supplement his salary with performance-based pay, but he has still been a bargain relative to every other starting quarterback in the NFL.
The time of Purdy being a bargain is over. He is eligible for a contract extension, and that has certainly played some role in the 49ers' offseason roster teardown with a reduction in outright cash spending as the driving force. A 6-11 season in 2024 confirms the Super Bowl window with the roster as it was is closed.
Insider outlines harsh financial reality for 49ers with Brock Purdy
The top of the quarterback market by average annual value is $60 million (Dak Prescott), and the rest of the top-10 is above $50 million per year. Purdy is not in the talent tier of Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert, so he's not going to get the kind of money they did. But Purdy will get paid, and by all meaningful accounts the 49ers will not hesitate to do so.
During an appearance on KNBR this week, Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group gave his thoughts on the Purdy situation.
"I can't imagine that the Niners would undermine their quarterback position and a guy that they need to lead them out of this free agency abyss by shortchanging Brock Purdy," Inman said. "When they're on record—as the coach, the general manager, and the owner—are all on record that they want to pay him, that he obviously deserves to get paid."
Understandable.
"The guy needs to be making over $50 million a year, and I'm not going to get into a fight whether he deserves it or not," Inman continued. "That is the market rate for a top-tier NFL quarterback. However deep you want that tier to be, whether it's 5, 10, or 15 [quarterbacks], that's what he deserves to be making."
The timing of the 49ers and Purdy getting a deal done is a question. Inman said he doesn't expect it come together quickly, while also setting aside any immediate urgency or looming immediate concern.
"To me, it just needs to get done probably right after the draft because they start the offseason program in mid-April," Inman added. "But those first couple weeks are strictly strength training, and you're not on the field with [head coach Kyle] Shanahan and Klay Kubiak, who's now the offensive coordinator, until you're like two weeks into that. So I'm talking like early May."
Some people will cringe at the idea of paying Purdy anything close to $50 million per year, and it's possible he will be fine with getting less than that. But the market says his new deal will be somewhere in that range, with some quarterbacks who haven't accomplished as much still likely to be above him on the pay scale.
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