Brock’s contract will tell us everything we need to know about how the 49ers organization feels about him.
We almost went an entire week without discussing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and his looming extension.
Sports Illustrated surveyed several league sources, including an NFC general manager, a pair of defensive coordinators, an NFC offensive assistant, and a trio of high-ranking personnel men. They all have a common denominator: They’ve faced Brock Purdy.
Each source agreed that Purdy is a quality quarterback. You wouldn’t get much pushback against that comment even against his biggest detractors. The question becomes, what tier of quarterbacks Purdy is in, and do you have to pay him like an upper-echelon quarterback one season after he gets a glimpse of reality in the NFL?
Committing **$50 million annually** to Purdy forces the 49ers into a high-stakes balancing act with the **salary cap** (projected at ~$240 million in 2025). While the NFL’s cap rises yearly, San Francisco faces critical challenges:
– **Existing Mega-Deals**: Nick Bosa ($34M/year), Deebo Samuel ($23.85M/year), George Kittle ($15M/year), and Trent Williams ($23.01M/year) already consume ~40% of the cap.
– **Reduced Flexibility**: If Purdy underperforms, the 49ers may struggle to restructure or cut him due to significant guaranteed money.
– **”All-In” Strategy**: The team might sacrifice future assets (draft picks, role players) to retain key stars like Brandon Aiyuk or Charvarius Ward.
**Comparison to Successful Models**: The Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes – $45M/year) continue winning Super Bowls by drafting young, cost-effective talent and leveraging Mahomes’ generational skills. The 49ers must replicate this approach, but Purdy has yet to prove he can single-handedly carry a team like Mahomes.
**Future Outlook**: If the NFL cap increases by 10% annually starting in 2026, Purdy’s deal could become a **bargain** if he wins MVP or a Super Bowl. Conversely, it risks becoming an **albatross** if the 49ers exit the playoffs early. The outcome hinges on **GM John Lynch’s cap wizardry** and **veterans’ willingness to take team-friendly deals** for a championship shot.
The 49ers were never going to repeat their offensive success in 2023. They set the league on fire, broke records, and had two players in the top five of the MVP voting. Regression was inevitable. But to the degree of six wins and missing the playoffs?
Purdy saw what life was like for most NFL quarterbacks. Injuries are a part of the game, and you rarely go a whole season without any hiccups or blemishes as the Niners did in ‘23. Two things can be true about Purdy’s last season: He contributed to some late down/game struggles. He still made several plays a game that helped keep the offense afloat.
Here are some of the quotes about Brock from the SI article:
“I like the guy,” says one longtime defensive coordinator. “Better athlete than you would think. As long as he gets the ball out on time, he’s good. Once it’s not clean, he becomes average.”
We’ve talked about Purdy’s scrambling ability and knack for extending plays at great length. It was one of his best qualities in 2024. Purdy’s a high-variance quarterback, so it’s unsurprising that his decision-making can end up on either side of the coin as the play lasts longer than 4 seconds.
“I’d play it out as long as possible without paying him if I was San Francisco, including using tags, etc.,” says one high-ranking NFC personnel man. “I think paying him $50-plus million is very risky.”
Paying anybody north of $50 million is incredibly risky. The 49ers are on the verge of doing that with a 25-year-old who has not started more than 40 games in the big leagues. It would be strange if there weren’t some hesitancy toward playing Purdy.
“Beyond the five or six [quarterbacks] that don’t need people around them, he’s in that group of guys that do need good players around him but can play at a high level,” says an NFC offensive assistant coach.
That’s a fair way to describe Purdy. You’re not putting him in the Josh Allen category of quarterbacks. That doesn’t mean Brock needs a supporting cast to play at a high level.
“If they think he’s the guy, they’ve probably got to pay him the $50-plus million,” says one senior personnel executive. “If not, how and who will they get to be a better fit? Maybe they do a bridge like Green Bay did with their guy, but his agents will probably not do that. Tough deal.”
As always, it comes down to the alternative. Can you find somebody to operate your offense with better efficiency, be a better leader, and provide the rest of Purdy’s intangibles?
Brock’s contract will tell us everything we need to know about how the 49ers organization feels about him.