With the San Francisco 49ers eliminated from the postseason, fans are turning their eyes towards the offseason.
One of the biggest questions for the team will be regarding quarterback Brock Purdy's contract extension.
Seemingly everyone has a strong opinion on this matter, including former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
Many will remember Edelman as being quarterback Tom Brady's secret weapon. Never the biggest or fastest, Edelman was still very reliable and had a sure pair of hands.
Edelman recently appeared on Colin Cowherd's TV program and was asked about his thoughts on a potential Purdy extension.
His answer can be watched below, courtesy of Coach Yac on X:
Julian Edelman on Brock Purdy possibly being paid 50+ million per year:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 19, 2024
“If it’s (contract) starting with a 5 in there it’s going to be tough because of what Sam Darnold is doing in Minnesota… I remember going and talking about it in week 5 when they were going through a bit of… pic.twitter.com/T26zoMQbjc
In case you cannot access the post, Edelman says, "If it’s (contract) starting with a five in there, it’s going to be tough because of what Sam Darnold is doing in Minnesota… I remember going and talking about it in Week 5 when they were going through a bit of adversity, I said specifically 'This year will determine if you are a $30 million quarterback or a $50 million quarterback,' and through the whole year it looks like he’s a $30 million quarterback. Which is a great quarterback, he’s a good football player, but we’re seeing his limitations when guys aren’t playing, and when there’s excuses.”
Edelman clearly thinks that Purdy is a talented quarterback, but he seems to think that Purdy does not add much to the team or cannot win without having all of his talented pieces around him. This is an understandable argument, but Purdy has shown at times that he can elevate the play of those around him.
In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, the Iowa State product had a great game. He threw for 292 passing yards and three touchdown passes although the team lost the game 27-24. He did that without two of his top receivers in tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Another really good game for Purdy came in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Purdy balled out for 353 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in that game. The Niners would not have won that game without Purdy's efforts.
Of course, there have been games where San Francisco lost due partly to Purdy's play. Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, Week 11 versus the Seattle Seahawks, and Week 15 against the Rams all spring to mind.
Purdy is probably not worth $60 million. But the guy still deserves to be paid because we know he is capable of being a top-10 quarterback when he is playing up to his potential. Edelman views him as a $30 million per-year kind of quarterback, but something around $40 million per year would probably be fair.
We will see how this whole saga shakes out, but there will be no shortage of opinions on how much Purdy should be paid over the next few months.