The 49ers aren't in a free-spending mood, and that approach has generated plenty of cash savings this offseason to potentially dish out to Brock Purdy.
The overture to what's been a tumultuous offseason for the San Francisco 49ers was sounded by general manager John Lynch back at the NFL Combine when he informed reporters of the tighter "restraints" his team would have entering 2025.
Simultaneously, Lynch told reporters how negotiations are underway with quarterback Brock Purdy and what promises to be a lucrative contract extension.
While nothing is imminent there, the Niners are undergoing a massive reset, jettisoning some of their longest-tenured players and letting others walk in free agency, many of whom have signed significant contracts on the open market.
And this could be paving the way for a would-be Purdy deal.
In the meantime, we know San Francisco avoided paying out plenty of high-profile contracts this offseason, evidenced by the deals now-former 49ers players have received on the eve of the league new year.
It's a lot.
49ers avoided spending $276 million on player contracts (so far)
The Niners are hitting a challenging offseason, one that admits their previous Super Bowl window closed and that older, expensive players need to be shuffled out the door for younger and cheaper replacements.
While that transition's outcome is yet to be determined, we do know the dollar amount San Francisco did not have to spend to retain its top talent, as discussed by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on The Pat McAfee Show recently:
- OL Aaron Banks (Packers) -- four years, $77 million
- CB Charvarius Ward (Colts) -- three years, $60 million
- DB Talanoa Hufanga (Broncos) -- three years, $45 million
- LB Dre Greenlaw (Broncos) -- three years, $35 million
- OL Jaylon Moore (Chiefs) -- two years, $30 million
- RB Elijah Mitchell (Chiefs) -- one year, $3.5 million
- QB Joshua Dobbs (Patriots) -- two years, $8 million
- WR Deebo Samuel (Commanders) -- one year, $17.5 million
Adding up with the calculator, that's $276 million in non-spend. And it doesn't even include the dollar amounts that'll be dished out to recently released players like defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave, as well as fullback Kyle Juszczyk and defensive end Leonard Floyd.
So, from a cash-savings perspective, the 49ers have accomplished that objective.
How much of 49ers' savings will be spent on Brock Purdy?
Purdy's contract negotiations ideally don't pan out late into the summer, which has been the case with a number of other Niners extension talks dating back to Samuel's deal in 2022.
Sure, San Francisco ideally doesn't want to overspend on Purdy either, both from a cash and cap-space vantage point.
But, if they have to pay market value, the 49ers will be much more equipped to do so by not financially overextending themselves with the aforementioned players.
Perhaps that'd make it easier to absorb a new Purdy contract that'd cost north of $50 million per year.