49ers ready to reward Brock Purdy with massive extension: Quarterbacks 'should be paid a lot of money'
Purdy has gone from Mr. Irrelevant to legitimate NFL starting quarterback in two seasons
Two years ago Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant. Come the 2025 season, the 262nd selection of the 2022 NFL draft will be playing under a mega-rich contract extension.
The 24-year-old Purdy enters the final year of his rookie contract in 2024, which will see him make a salary of $985,000, according to OverTheCap.com. After going from the final pick of the NFL Draft to San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback to taking his team to the NFC championship game in his rookie season and then playing in a Super Bowl in year two, Purdy has set himself up for a massive payday.
The 49ers know that day is coming and should Purdy have another strong season, his price tag will continue to soar. Team CEO Jed York understands that when quarterbacks perform well in the NFL, you have to pay them.
“It’s a good problem when your quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league,” York said, via The Mercury News, on Tuesday during the NFL’s annual owners meetings. “It’s what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before. I don’t know how many players are making over $40 million [a season] as a quarterback right now.”
There are currently nine quarterbacks in the NFL averaging over $40 million in salary per season. By 2025, two more could be in that category depending on how negotiations go for Purdy, as well as Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
York, who is taking over as principal owner this week, understands you won't go far in the NFL without an efficient quarterback. Purdy was a Pro Bowler in 2023 after throwing for 4,280 yards — a 49ers team record — and 31 touchdowns. He's solidified a position that has been in flux over the last several years. Purdy (2023) and Jimmy Garoppolo (2019) are the only 49ers quarterbacks who have started 16 games in a season since 2014. Nine different players have been under center since Colin Kaepernick started every game during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
“To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports, and those guys should be paid a lot of money," York said.
The 49ers are expected to contend for the Super Bowl again, and Purdy's rookie deal has allowed them to strengthen other areas of the team. One looming question yet to be answered this offseason is what they will do with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He will make $14.1 million in his fifth year and the team has said they want to reward the 25-year-old who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Extensions for Aiyuk and Purdy are part of the puzzle that the 49ers front office will have to piece together as they set their salary cap picture moving forward. The players have earned pay raises and the organizational philosophy is to take care of your own first before dipping into the free agent market.
“Brandon, guys that you drafted, I’d much rather pay guys we drafted than guys we didn’t draft,” York said. “We’ll do everything we can, like we have in the past, to find a way to make those work."
