The San Francisco 49ers finally did the thing on Friday, extending Brock Purdy to a five-year, $265 million contract that puts him among the highest-paid players in the NFL.
It had to happen. It was always going to happen. It's the way of today's NFL. Just because it was a given, however, does not mean it's not catastrophic. To be frank, Purdy is not as good as the other QBs on his pay grade. It is also notable that the six quarterbacks earning more than him have won a combined zero Super Bowls.
That is why the pressure is now on for Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos. The Niners were in the Super Bowl in 2023, when Purdy's rookie-scale contract constituted arguably the best value deal in football. Now that the script has flipped and he occupies arguably the worst contract in football, San Francisco's ability to field a complete roster — and to pay all their worthy pieces — is capped.
Nix was runner-up behind Jayden Daniels in Rookie of the Year voting last season. He was a revelation for Denver, leading them to 10 wins and a postseason appearance. The Broncos' timeline has sped up considerably with Nix, and Purdy's new contract is a nice reminder of how small these windows are.
Brock Purdy's contract pressures Broncos to win big (and now) with Bo Nix
Nix's rookie contract extends for three more years with a club option in 2028. The Broncos can get cute and mess with the franchise tag, but that generally does not happen with franchise quarterbacks. As soon as a QB gets a whiff of the open market, he's wont to get paid — handsomely.
The Broncos basically have two years of bliss, maybe three, until Nix is gunning for a $200 million-plus contract of his own. That is how the NFL works in 2025, and it ramps up the pressure on Denver's front office to build an immediate winner.
That is a two-to-three-year window in which the Broncos can splurge on playmakers, beef up the O-line, and nail down the defense before Nix sends their cap sheet into chaos. George Paton, Sean Payton and the Broncos brass need to recognize the opportunity ahead of them and pounce.
Denver took the necessary steps in the NFL Draft, adding UCF running back R.J. Harvey in the second round and Illinois wideout Pat Bryant in the third round. Both figure to occupy important roles from day one, with Harvey positioned as the stabilizing, three-down back Denver so clearly lacked a year ago.
There is still room for improvement, though, starting with another star wideout opposite Courtland Sutton. Denver has its franchise quarterback at 25 years old, which is a rare discovery. Especially with he's the sixth signal-caller off the board in his own draft class. Now is the time to go all-out.
Nix completed 66.3 percent of his passes last season, throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns. All the concerns about him coming out of Oregon — limited arm strength, a lack of experience in pro-style offense, a small frame — proved moot. He's the real deal. Now, we see if the Broncos can capitalize before Nix's excellence turns into an exorbitant expense.