Brock Purdy might accept a mid-market deal, but he won't come cheap to the 49ers, according to one NFL executive.
The No. 1 objective for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason is to lock up quarterback Brock Purdy.
It sounds simple enough. After all, franchise-caliber quarterbacks don't come around very often, and all indications from the Niners' front office suggest they want him as their guy under center for a very long time.
The problem, though, is San Francisco hasn't always been great about engineering extensions with top players in an expedited manner. A year ago, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's contested extension talks dragged out into training camp and included trades being withdrawn at the 11th hour. Two years ago, defensive end Nick Bosa didn't sign an extension until just days before the regular season began.
It'd be wise for the 49ers to avoid yet another dragged-out process with a player occupying the most important position in sports.
Speaking from the NFL Combine last February, general manager John Lynch told reporters that negotiations with Purdy's camp have commenced, yet the executive gave no indication that anything was close or imminent.
That still seems to be the case, as Fox Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz shared from a source that "there's no rush."
This jives with Lynch's comments, but it's open to debate exactly what the terms and amounts will be.
Brock Purdy doesn't appear too interested in a 49ers 'hometown discount'
In Schultz's report, an anonymous general manager shared some insight on what the final pick from the 2022 draft might command on a new deal.
Acknowledging Purdy's "down" year in 2023, Schultz felt he wasn't going to surpass Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's $60 million annual average, but the depressed value wasn't going to be exceptionally lower either.
Citing sources, Schultz felt a range between $50 million and $55 million per year was reasonable.
Beyond that, quoting an anonymous NFL general manager, Purdy isn't exactly expected to take on a bargain contract either.
"Perhaps a little," the GM said when asked about a hometown discount. "But Purdy's getting paid, that's a fact. The benefit the 49ers have is that he's been playing on a very team-friendly deal, so maybe he takes a little less to lock in long-term security."
Purdy has no reason to give the Niners a discount, not after playing on the cheapest contract possible for players drafted in 2022, then helping bail out Lynch and Co. from the 2021 fiasco of trading up to draft quarterback Trey Lance.
Plus, Purdy can point to his list of accolades and point out more accomplishments than Prescott anyway.
At least there haven't been any trade demands... yet.
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