After a six-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers to begin his career, Deebo Samuel Sr. is onto Washington to play with Offensive Rookie of the Year winner Jayden Daniels. Following the Samuel trade, discussions have started regarding Brock Purdy and how much the former Mr. Irrelevant played into the deal.
From Last Pick to Last Man Standing? Brock Purdy’s Pending Contract
With Brandon Aiyuk’s trade rumors last season to Samuel being shipped out this year, the 49ers have not had an immovable core for quite some time now. Some NFL analysts believe the Samuel move comes in an attempt to clear up some room for Purdy and their now franchise guy.
"To me, this is one of those moves that doesn't signal a rebuild – but it is a reset for the 49ers on the offensive side of the ball." @ChrisCanty99 on the 49ers agreeing to deal WR Deebo Samuel to the Commanders https://t.co/LnkJXIFW7j pic.twitter.com/0BtZTUDCaS
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) March 3, 2025
As seen in the post, Chris Canty does not believe the 49ers are necessarily rebuilding, but resetting by letting their longtime wideout go. Canty mentioned that after trading Samuel, Aiyuk is once again a name being thrown around on the market which Canty finds “odd in and of itself.”
Regardless if Aiyuk is moved or not, Canty sees all of this is as a space-clearing exercise for San Francisco to eventually give Purdy a top-market QB deal.
Along with getting Purdy his bag, Canty thinks the 49ers are looking to shake up their weapons for the 6-foot-1 QB. Samuel has for several years now been regarded as an elite dual-threat talent at WR.
However, following one of the most disappointing seasons of his NFL career, Canty believes Purdy and the Niners can move on comfortably. “Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, from their perspective, they’ve seen better days,” said Canty.
Purdy and 49ers Play During 2024 Season
If Purdy is to receive such a deal being discussed, then surely he has the numbers to back it up, right? Well, in PFSN’s 2024 NFL QB+ rankings, Purdy’s ranking does back up the contract he is allegedly deserving of. Ben Rolfe has Purdy at an 87.6 (B+) rating for his performance this season. Rolfe elaborates on why Purdy was good enough to come in at seventh amongst all NFL QBs.
“For the 2024 season, Purdy finished fifth in the league in overall EPA/DB (0.17) and fourth when playing under pressure (-0.08 EPA/DB) while sitting sixth when playing from a clean pocket (0.33 EPA/DB). Despite all the injuries around him, Purdy still averaged 8.1 nYPA (third) and a 44.3% conversion rate on third downs (eighth).”
Similarly to Purdy’s 2024 top-10 performance, the 49ers offense as a whole also finished amongst the top-10 of PFSN’s offense+ rankings. At an 80.5 (B-) rating the 49ers come in at ninth place, despite missing the postseason. Sterling Xie describes just how crucial Purdy’s role was in keeping this offense afloat.
“Brock Purdy led the second-best offense in terms of yards per play, trailing only the Ravens. That’s an incredible accomplishment given the injuries he navigated throughout the season.
“Christian McCaffrey made his season debut in the 49ers’ Week 10 win but was lost for the remainder of the regular season in the Week 13 loss to Buffalo. The All-Pro RB was joined on injured reserve by featured backup Jordan Mason, along with Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams also suffering season-ending injuries.”
In an injury-ridden season for the 49ers, their QB remained consistent. After moving on from their long-time pal Samuel, is this a sign that Purdy will soon have one of the largest changes of pay in NFL history?