Brock Purdy injury update is best-case scenario for 49ers QB’s new deal

The San Francisco 49ers are approaching a crossroads with former last-overall pick Brock Purdy, who is slated to graduate from the NFL's best bargain contract to a substantial long-term extension in the coming months.

That is, unless the 49ers decide to let Purdy walk a year from now. There has been no reporting to suggest that Purdy's future is in much doubt, but San Francisco would be wise to think long and hard about anchoring itself to Purdy for the next five-plus years. He's a solid quarterback, no doubt, but Purdy feels like a beneficiary of extremely favorable circumstances with the 49ers.

How many quarterbacks look great in a Kyle Shanahan (or Kyle Shanahan-adjacent) offense, only to flame out when put in a new setting? Shanahan isn't going anywhere for now, but when a $50 million annual contract gets put on the table, it's generally for a more dynamic talent. The Purdy "system QB" debate has raged for years. At a certain point, the fact that we're still having the conversation is a bit worrisome.

Purdy added to the uncertainty on Monday night when he suffered a concerning shoulder injury in the final minutes of San Francisco's 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions. Purdy, who tore his UCL in the 2022 NFC Championship Game, was suddenly enveloped in anxiety about the stability of his shoulder. It was an all-too-familiar panic for 49ers fans.

That UCL tear required months of rehab. Thankfully, Purdy seems to have avoided a similar fate this time around.

Brock Purdy avoids major shoulder injury as 49ers contract negotiations loom

This is tremendous news. Purdy probably won't suit up in Week 18, but the Niners are out of the postseason mix, so a loss just helps their NFL Draft agenda. Either Joshua Dobbs or Brandon Allen will get the start under center next Sunday.

At this point, it's difficult to imagine the 49ers doing anything other than paying Purdy his "worth" on the open market. San Francisco aims to contend and can't really afford to toil in mediocrity with an unproven replacement. There aren't any elite quarterbacks populating the upcoming free agent class. We know Shanahan loves Kirk Cousins, but are the Niners willing to throw away a decade-plus of Purdy's career to see if Cousins can still move well enough in 2025? Probably not.

Former 49ers backup Sam Darnold might honestly be the better quarterback — he's sure having a better individual season — but the Niners wouldn't save much money going down that route, as Darnold has earned his own payday in Minnesota.

A positive injury update puts most of the lingering doubt to bed. The 49ers are locked into the Brock Purdy experience, for better or worse. It has been an overwhelmingly positive three years, including a Super Bowl appearance this past February. Purdy probably won't be the best QB in the NFL pound-for-pound (or dollar-for-dollar), but every contender needs to pay a quarterback eventually. We can safely assume that Purdy's contract will not turn into Daniel Jones in New York, or even Kirk Cousins in Atlanta.

Purdy will finish his 2024 campaign with 3,864 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. On balance, it has been his worst season to date, but how much of that is his fault, and how much of it stems from the countless injuries and lack of continuity that has plagued San Francisco en route to a 6-9 record? Only time will tell, but Purdy won 12 games a year ago and ought to stabilize somewhat if the Niners can maintain something close to full health.