Three days after Brock Purdy played arguably the worst game of his career in a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, reports from Dianna Russini of The Athletic said the San Francisco 49ers remain committed to Purdy as their quarterback of the future.
Per Russini, the 49ers are planning to extend Purdy this offseason before he enters the final year of his rookie contract. The question is—how much are the 49ers planning to spend on a Purdy extension?
Currently, the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL is Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott, who is making an average of $60 million per year over the next four years. The nine highest-paid signal-callers in the league are all making upwards of $50 million per year.
This is the current market for quarterbacks, but former Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman does not think Purdy has earned a contract in that $50+ million per year range.
“If it’s (contract) starting with a 5 in there it’s going to be tough because of what Sam Darnold is doing in Minnesota," Edelman told Colin Cowherd on The Herd. "I remember going and talking about it in week 5 when they were going through a bit of adversity, I said specifically, 'This year will determine if you are a 30 million dollar quarterback or a 50 million dollar quarterback,' and through the whole year it looks like he’s a 30 million dollar quarterback. Which is a great quarterback, he’s a good football player, but we’re seeing his limitations when guys aren’t playing, and when there’s excuses."
Julian Edelman on Brock Purdy possibly being paid 50+ million per year:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 19, 2024
“If it’s (contract) starting with a 5 in there it’s going to be tough because of what Sam Darnold is doing in Minnesota… I remember going and talking about it in week 5 when they were going through a bit of… pic.twitter.com/T26zoMQbjc
Purdy has achieved considerable success in his three NFL seasons. He helped he 49ers reach two straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl, led the NFL in passer rating in 2023, and made the Pro Bowl a season ago.
However, the 49ers were a Super Bowl-caliber team even before Purdy became the starter. They reached the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo, and fair or not, much of his success has been attributed to the talent around him and coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive prowess. As the team has faced adversity this year, Purdy has not been able to lift his surrounding teammates and lead them back to the postseason.
Outside of his play on the field, signing a contract that massive can hamstring a team's talent, especially the 49ers. Thanks to Purdy's bargain contract from when he signed as a seventh-round pick, the 49ers were able to keep players like Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa, and Trent Williams happy with their own extensions.
Former 49ers quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young noted on The Dan Patrick Show the value of taking a more friendly deal toward the team—like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have done—so they can build a team around Purdy.
"I want to make sure I have plenty of help for Brock Purdy," Young told Dan Patrick. "And I need money to do that ... Everyone loves Brock, and loves his efficiency, his game, and his leadership, but we need to make sure we have the money to people with him to go win it."
.@SteveYoungQB says the #Niners and Brock Purdy need to consider making sure there's enough money for the pieces around him when structuring his new contract, just like Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have done. pic.twitter.com/gTHgUzjHOX
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) December 18, 2024
After all, only one of the top-five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL right now plays for a team that is on track to the make the playoffs this season. The other four—including Prescott—are on teams at least two games below .500, and have remained largely outside of the playoff picture all season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Julian Edelman Questions 49ers' Value of Brock Purdy's Potential Contract Extension.
