Going into this offseason, it seemed like both the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy wanted to get a contract extension done quickly without much fanfare.
However, a Niners insider now seems to think talks could drag on.
Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard recently spoke about Purdy's contract talks on his podcast, The TK Show. Kawakami said on the most recent episode of his podcast, "I was thinking this could get done really fast. I don't think that anymore. And by really fast I meant February and I do not think that's happening."
Kawakami recently reported that the structure of Purdy's contract may be a short-term deal which could lead to more of a back and forth between both camps before they can settle on a structure that everyone can agree on.
How long will Brock Purdy's contract extension take?
The short answer? It probably won't be a quick resolution.
Both Kawakami and his guest on the podcast, 49ers reporter Matt Barrows of The Athletic, noted that drawn-out extension talks are how things usually go with the Niners. They typically play hardball with their players with the one exception being quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's contract with the team following the 2017 season, which was done so quickly because they did not want him to hit free agency.
It is understandable there will be a natural back and forth between Purdy's camp and the 49ers, but San Francisco would be wise to not let these talks drag on too long. If this becomes another Brandon Aiyuk or Nick Bosa situation where the talks drag on well into the preseason with two star players, then it will become a major distraction and seems likely to impact team morale.
Even if the talks drag on into free agency, it could impact San Francisco's ability to negotiate with other free agents to improve the team in other areas. Depending on how large Purdy's contract is, it will have a definite impact on who the Niners are able to bring back via free agency.
Yet, both sides have made clear that they want to get something done so one imagines that they will eventually reach an acceptable compromise.
But if Kawakami is right and this process does not get figured out as quickly as some previously hoped, it could have a negative impact on the rest of the offseason as the 49ers try to reload and rebound from their disappointing 2024 campaign.