Brock Purdy's Contract and His Future in Red & Gold
Drafted with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, known as ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy was selected by the 49ers for quarterback security. Former 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had multiple injury issues throughout his 49ers tenure and highly-touted second-year quarterback Trey Lance still had question marks. When Lance went down with an ankle injury in Week Two and Garoppolo went down in Week 13 of the 2022 season, Purdy was required to step up and lead an elite team to Super Bowl contention. Since then, he has taken the 49ers starting quarterback job and flourished with little expectations, contending for 2023 NFL MVP and leading the team to a Super Bowl LVIII appearance in his second season.
This past season came with bigger expectations though as Purdy had played on the biggest stage and fell short of NFL glory the year before and he now had contract extension talks looming at the conclusion of the season. However, disappointment spread through the entire San Francisco team and Purdy had an underwhelming season as a result. Since the end of their season, the question at hand for the 49ers has been whether handing Purdy a huge contract extension is in their best interest this offseason. Purdy has accumulated 9,518 passing yards, 64 passing touchdowns, and 27 interceptions with a 27-15 record as a starter in his three-year NFL career in San Francisco. He has the production that gives him and his agent the argument toward a hefty contract at the top of the quarterback market. Quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, and Tua Tagovailoa have inked contracts upward of $50 million per year and Dak Prescott inked a contract worth $60 million annually. Purdy has a resume that beats all of theirs.
49ers GM John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have said they want Purdy to be their franchise quarterback, but the 49ers are faced with a decision to extend him this offseason or have Purdy prove he is worthy of top-tier quarterback money and play out the final year of his rookie contract. The latter would be the smartest move. Purdy was an average quarterback last season, throwing for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The 49ers have bigger problems than the quarterback position, and in the past, they built a Super Bowl-caliber team due to their limited expenses at the position. By giving Purdy a big contract, it not only would be a bad investment, but it would also contradict their philosophy of roster building. The 49ers shouldn’t feel required to follow the mistakes of other teams with quarterback contracts. The team isn’t going to improve and revert back to their previous success by getting more expensive.
Recent reports on Purdy’s contract talks indicate the 49ers have offered him $45 million per year per Jason La Canfora, while Purdy’s camp has a strong case to get Prescott-level money near $60 million annually per Mike Garafolo. It will be interesting where these contract talks end up since the 49ers are the side with all the leverage. The major thing the 49ers need to avoid is Purdy holding out during OTAs and training camp, similar to Brandon Aiyuk last season. I don’t think Purdy is the type of player to do that, but it isn’t a guarantee. They can’t have a replication of last season where drama ensued and distracted the team in preparation for last season.
