'It's the price of doing business with a quarterback' – Salary cap expert makes bold prediction on Brock Purdy's new 49ers deal
All signs so far this offseason point to the San Francisco 49ers coming to a speedy resolution in their talks with quarterback Brock Purdy over a long-term extension. There is seemingly a significant motivation on both sides to get a deal done before the 49ers start their offseason program, with owner Jed York this week […]
All signs so far this offseason point to the San Francisco 49ers coming to a speedy resolution in their talks with quarterback Brock Purdy over a long-term extension.
There is seemingly a significant motivation on both sides to get a deal done before the 49ers start their offseason program, with owner Jed York this week confirming he had met with Purdy's agent.
The overriding question, however, is how much will it ultimately cost the 49ers to tie Purdy to a deal, San Francisco having enjoyed the luxury of employing Purdy as the cheapest starting quarterback in the league over the course of the last two seasons.
And the answer could be complicated following a down year for the 49ers and Purdy, who was ultimately unable to elevate an injury-riddled team that struggled mightily on defense to a playoff berth as the Niners slumped to a 6-11 record.
But the 49ers had previously gotten little else but stellar play from Purdy after injuries propelled the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to a starting role late in his rookie season. Purdy won his first seven starts that year, including the postseason, and went on to enjoy an MVP-caliber 2023 campaign that ended with an agonizing overtime loss in Super Bowl 58.
York said last year that he was prepared for Purdy to ask for a deal that resets the quarterback market.
That might seem unrealistic following the 49ers' disappointing results of this past season.
But Over The Cap's salary cap and contract expert Jason Fitzgerald believes Purdy will indeed ask for an unprecedented contract.
He told NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov: "I would imagine he's going to look to be the highest-paid player in the NFL, so they're probably looking at $60.1 million a year, just to go right over Dak Prescott.
"They might get him for less than that. He hasn't made any money in his career relative to his peers in the NFL, so maybe he would go for a little bit less, he doesn't have the draft stature to fall back on like some others.
"I think given his track record over that period of time and the fact that he really saved them from a bad trade. The fact that he developed saved basically everyone. I don't know where they would be right now if Trey Lance was their quarterback.
"I'm not sure if the head coach would be the head coach. I doubt the general manager would be the general manager if that happened. I don't think they even want that kind of uncertainty. I think you just do the deal and say 'you know it's the price of doing business with a quarterback these days.'"
San Francisco has held lengthy stand-offs with various star players over contracts in recent years.
But in the end the 49ers capitulated in their impasses with Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, meeting the demands of that trio of All-Pros.
It would mark a considerable change in approach if they quickly acquiesce to a record-breaking request from Purdy. Many would view doing so after just one season of consistent top-tier play as an error, but the 49ers' desire to get everyone back in the building without any distractions as they attempt to bounce back in 2025 may well lead them to take that chance.
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It would be the right outcome for both sides.
