After winning the NFC Championship and appearing in the Super Bowl during his first season as the full-time starter, Brock Purdy will eventually need to be paid.
No longer Mr. Irrelevant, the No. 262 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft is already in line for a massive payday just two years into his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. While some teams might be hesitant to pay Purdy, 49ers ownership is already preparing themselves for this.
49ers Ownership Preparing for Brock Purdy Extension
After completing nearly 70% of his passes, throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns in his second season with the 49ers, Purdy is already in line for a lucrative extension.
As a seventh-round pick, San Francisco doesn’t have the luxury of fifth-year options like other recently extended quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. An extension for Purdy will need to come sooner, leaving the 49ers with less time to evaluate his ceiling as an NFL quarterback.
Yet, the 49ers’ brass is already preparing for that eventual mega extension.
“It’s a good problem when your quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league,” 49ers CEO Jed York said at the NFL’s Annual League Meetings.
"It's a good problem when your quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league.”#49ers CEO Jed York, in comments to local reporters, knows a major raise for Brock Purdy is coming https://t.co/08HZQchPgx
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2024
Purdy will only count $1.004 million against San Francisco’s cap space in 2024, a very low number for a quarterback of his ilk coming off a Super Bowl appearance.
Purdy is eligible for an extension next offseason, and York’s 49ers understand that the price will go up big time.
“It’s what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before,” York said.
Four NFL quarterbacks are already over the $50 million annual mark, with Burrow atop the list as the NFL’s highest-paid player. In recent years, we’ve seen teams be able to foot the bill on a pricey QB while maintaining a competitive roster. The Kansas City Chiefs just won the Super Bowl with a cap hit of $37 million on Patrick Mahomes’ contract.
The price of quarterbacks will continue to go up. The Niners have had the luxury of building out a star-studded roster while saving on their starting quarterback. However, next offseason, the bill will likely come due for the 49ers to pay Purdy, and they’ll be ready for it.
“To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports,” York said. “Those guys should be paid a lot of money.”
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