Evidenced further by the events of this offseason, quarterbacks possess unrivaled leverage. Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love rose to the top of the NFL’s salary hierarchy for a period, joining Joe Burrow on that perch without similar accolades. Dak Prescott then smashed through that ceiling to a watershed contract, using unique leverage against the Cowboys to secure the league’s current highwater deal.
As we discussed at a few points this year, teams are not taking a chance of passing on paying a second-tier (or lower) quarterback a top-market rate. The 49ers have seen Brock Purdy become a revelation since being the last pick in the 2022 draft, with Kyle Shanahan‘s pieces operating at their best with the former Iowa State prospect at the controls. While Purdy has not been confused with a top-tier talent, he has been effective since Jimmy Garoppolo‘s December 2022 foot injury gave him the keys to a high-powered offense.
[RELATED: Assessing Purdy’s Extension Candidacy]
The 49ers are not planning to be the team that passes on a QB payment to seek a lower-cost alternative, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicating they are indeed eyeing a long-term Purdy extension. The sides cannot begin true negotiations until January, but it appears another 49ers offseason contract saga — this one perhaps the most complicated — is on tap.
49ers CEO Jed York said early this offseason that the team was preparing for a future with Purdy on a high-end contract. In the months since, the NFL has seen five more QBs surpass $50MM AAV. Prescott soared to $60MM per year, inking that deal hours before the Cowboys’ season opener. Purdy, 24, does not carry the leverage Prescott did — a bargaining position secured due to Dallas’ previous contractual dealings with its QB — but he does play by far the sport’s most important position. That proved a sufficient weapon for Lawrence, Love and Tua Tagovailoa this offseason. Still, some rumblings around the league pointed to forthcoming hesitancy on the 49ers’ part. Thus far, no such trepidation exists.
Even as Purdy is not being mentioned as a Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes peer in terms of abilities, he has done quite well to keep the 49ers’ machine humming. Last year’s QBR leader ranks sixth in that metric this season, doing so despite Brandon Aiyuk going down before midseason and Christian McCaffrey barely factoring into the year. Trent Williams has also missed recent games. While Purdy will check in with worse numbers than his strong 2023 season, he has proven more on the field than Lawrence or Love to enter high-stakes negotiations. Purdy has also been a better run-game threat compared to 2023, totaling 282 rushing yards thus far this year after accumulating 144 in 16 games last season.
The 49ers, however, also could use Shanahan’s QB-friendly system against their current starter once negotiations commence. The prospect of jettisoning Purdy — or even delaying a payment — due to the impact Shanahan and the talent around him have made on the QB’s career could be part of the talks, but it does not sound like the 49ers are seriously considering a pivot from Purdy once he commands a lucrative extension.
The team that entered long-running talks with Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa and Aiyuk over the past three years will now be tasked with hammering out a megadeal for a player it chose with the final pick in the draft. San Francisco’s upcoming negotiation promises to be the most interesting of the bunch.
Maybe he’s amazing and would thrive anywhere, but since it can’t be proven until he does, no way I’m paying a system QB and surrendering the best advantage my team has over others.
The “system QB” concept is as dopey as the coaching tree nonsense. Is a QB who can win twice the games he loses not an advantage? You don’t think there is value in spending for that? Perhaps you think good QBs will always be found with the 262nd pick in the draft.
It seems Purdue is showing this year that he’s more than a “system QB.”
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I’m not agreeing that he’s necessarily a system QB, but having him on a ludicrously cheap contract has allowed them to surround him with the best left tackle and far and away the best set of skill position players in football until injuries took their toll this year, not to mention he has one of the very best offensive coaches in football. Calling him a system QB may not be fair, but giving him too much credit for his win-loss record isn’t either.
The scheming in Shanahan’s offense is significantly better than anyone else’s and makes players look better than they are. I believe he is one of them.
Which other teams would he start for…and succeed?
Once removed from that system, what makes him better than the other QB options out there?
In fairness, remember that the other QB options have clearer downsides to them. He’s young and been good.
Anyone who uses “system QB” just loses all credibility. Everyone has a scheme, and all QBs follow a certain structure of what the HC wants to do. Just lazy commenting.
He’s obviously not top tier yet, but he’s still pretty young and fits well within Shanny’s offense. If they aren’t going to pay Purdy, who else are they going to get? Cousins? Geno Smith? Bring back Darnold?
They can try to draft another QB but after the Trey Lance fiasco, I doubt that.
I just love when people say, don’t sign … trade … whatever without offering up possible targets. Sometimes, when you have a certainty at the position at a specific price, it gets easier to plan ahead for payroll purposes. Throwing in journeymen and/or rookie QBs of unknown quantities really makes it harder to plan ahead.
Cool.
Sign him. Give him $60 million a year. Please do. Seriously.
Knock yourselves out.
He needs Cousins’ agent!
Best comment on the internet. And basically a qb that will do just good enough to justify the mediocrity. Lol. Good take. Fabulous with humor too. lol. 49ers fo this. And they are screwed. Not doing it. And they are square 1. Square 1 with 50mm is better imo.
I wonder how much he’ll get in comparison to burrow love Tua Jalen trevor Goff mayfield lamar josh & Herbert
He’ll be getting an offer in the same ball park. Stability at the QB position is essential to succeeding. Just look at the teams that have a revolving door at the position.
What we are also seeing is that most teams givingvthe large qb contracts are not putting a winning team on field due to having to give up other positions and players.
I think SF should let him test the market to see what his worth is to other teams. He could then talk to Seattle and see how our much younger and better team with a better WR corps would be a much better fit. Also life in Seattle is much nicer. Team has more upside fans are better ownership is better. Life is just better in the PNW that Cal.
There isn’t any reason to not keep Purdy. You are really taking a chance to roll the dice on another rookie quarterback that going to step in and produce the way Brock has over the last 3 seasons. He is still under contract for next year as well. People need to stop acting like he is going to count for 50-60 million against the cap next year. Right now, Purdy is a 1.1 million hit for 2025. I don’t see them front loading that thing to make it a 20-30 hit for next year. I doubt you will even see a major huge hit come until 2027.
Yeah, just tired of people on here who don’t really understand the cap mechanics and just look at the topline dollar LOL.
Some people just keep on shouting $60M/year! Not worth it without realizing that the overall contract doesn’t even reflect how the cap implications truly work.
Niners need to unload their resident diva Deebo to free up some money to make Purdy an offer with guaranteed money
Samuels is a stupendous biatch who I’m convinced poured gasoline on that entire Aiyuk fiasco
Purdy shows up and does the job. Nothing flashy but certainly nothing nearly as boneheaded like many of the much more hyped QBs in the league
Dak isn’t “worth” $60M and he’s seemingly gone out his way to prove it every season; so I’m not suggesting Purdy should get that amount. Unfortunately name value is still a thing so he won’t approach Tua, Trevor, Joe, etc … at least, he shouldn’t, but those insane contracts set the market and SF’s window closing (albeit slower than most other teams)