Pro Football Rumors
The title of this post labels 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy as an extension “candidate,” but according to Diana Russini of The Athletic, an “extension is inevitable.” While there was initially some intrigue around the situation due to the team’s earlier than expected elimination for the postseason, Russini assures everyone that the team has always planned on extending Purdy, never wavering on him as their franchise quarterback. Here’s how they got here and what an extension may look like.
Purdy has been the best bargain deal of the past three years. As Mr. Irrelevant of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy has been letting the Niners off easy with his four-year, $3.74MM rookie contract. Now that Purdy is finally eligible for an extension, he’ll be a bargain no more. There are varying opinions on just what an extension could look like for the 25-year-old.
Since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback in Week 13 of his rookie season, Purdy has secured a 23-13 regular season record and a 4-2 postseason record en route to two berths in the conference championship and a Super Bowl appearance. In the time since his first start, Purdy ranks fourth among all quarterbacks in QBR (70.2), third in passing yards (9,452), first in yards per attempt (8.9), and seventh in touchdown passes (64). He’s also recorded the most games with a 120-plus passer rating (13) and 130-plus passer rating (10) of any quarterback in NFL history through his first three seasons.
The only thing that could limit Purdy’s income potential is a down 2024 season. While still putting forth a strong performance, Purdy, like the rest of his team, took a step back this year. He completed a career-worst 65.9 percent of his passes, failed to reach 4,000 passing yards, and only threw 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Additionally, Purdy understands that the more he makes, the fewer good players can surround him. With offensive stars like tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams, and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, as well as defensive playmakers like linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, taking up the top portions of the salary cap, Purdy may need to be mindful of just how much his salary could affect that.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, some league sources believe that his contract could be built around that of Daniel Jones from two years ago (four years, $160MM). Adjusted for inflation, Graziano predicted a four-year, $196MM deal with $112MM guaranteed at the end of January, which would slot Purdy at 10th in average annual salary for quarterbacks. A week later, Graziano’s sources were making a case that Purdy’s deal should be able to rival the likes of those of players like Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in salary. While Lawrence doesn’t have the supporting cast Purdy does, he hasn’t been able to achieve what Purdy has in the regular or postseason. Still, Lawrence signed an extension last year that made him the highest-paid quarterback in...
