Last year, they probably thought they’d have to pay Purdy at least $60 million per season. Now, they’d be foolish to offer him more than $45 million per season given the shift in the market.
The quarterback market has shifted dramatically in the past 12 months, and it hasn’t shifted in Brock Purdy’s favor.
A year ago, Jordan Love got $55 million per year from the Packers even though he had been a starter for just one season and a good starter for just half a season. In hindsight, it was a ridiculous deal. And now, the market has corrected itself.
This offseason, reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen signed a contract extension worth $55 million per season. He’s not even the highest-paid quarterback in the league — Dak Prescott is. And his contract is even worse than Love’s.
Finally, it seems teams are being more prudent about paying quarterbacks. A year ago, Sam Darnold might have gotten more than $50 per season from a team just based off his one good season in 2024. This year, he got a three-year, $100 million deal with just one year of guaranteed money.
This is good news for the 49ers. Last year, they probably thought they’d have to pay Purdy at least $60 million per season. Now, they’d be foolish to offer him more than $45 million per season given the shift in the market.
Which means Purdy has a choice. He can accept that his value has declined and take the 49ers’ austere offer, or he can hold out for a better offer as Brandon Aiyuk did. And given how often the 49ers cave and give important players what they want, don’t be surprised if Purdy holds out.