One of the most controversial points of discussion in the NFL this past offseason has reached its resolution. For better or worse, the San Francisco 49ers have marked Brock Purdy as their man and are finally paying him like a franchise quarterback. Mr. Irrelevant's new deal has him under contract for the next six years. His five-year, $265 million extension kicks in next year, meaning they must win now.
With the way the 49ers and their fan base felt about Purdy, this deal was always going to happen. While I am still not sure he is worth $53 million in average annual value, he is in the eyes of the 49ers faithful. Still, I find his comment after signing his mega extension to be a bit rich. It is about setting the team up for success long-term, while simultaneously too big of a slice of the pie for his own good.
Here is what Purdy had to say about the nature of his huge extension, via a transcript from the 49ers.
“This is our vision, this is hopefully what we can get out of it and get what you deserve and have earned and go from there. But, obviously, we want to make sure that we’re working together with our organization and setting up everybody for success. It’s not just for me to get all the money, as much as I can, but also like, hey, let’s surround yourself with a great team and players and a great locker room and all those things mattered. So, we definitely talked about that.”
It may work out wonderfully for the 49ers this year, but the mega extension he just signed kicked in next year. This may have been the going rate for a quarterback of his caliber, but Purdy has not been the same player since losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago. San Francisco is paying him to win their first Lombardi Trophy since 1994. I have my reservations that he ever will.
When you pay a good player great money in a hard salary cap, it will result in dire consequences.
Brock Purdy's first message after mega extension is a bit out of touch
What I have always liked about Purdy's game is his cool, calm and collected demeanor often runs counter to his many dissenters. The former Phoenix area high school star was too small to play for Nick Saban at Alabama. Matt Campbell was sure glad to have him at Iowa State. Even though the 49ers love him dearly now, all 32 NFL franchises passed on him multiple times in the 2022 NFL Draft.
I find myself often comparing the 49ers to that of the Cincinnati Bengals entering this season. Last year was not great for either team, but we are not that far removed from seeing either of them get to the Super Bowl, but ultimately come up short. The Super Bowl window is still arguably open for both with their current cores, but I do sense it starting to close for both teams because of their finances.
If Purdy is worth every penny he got from the 49ers, then general manager John Lynch will continue to look like a genius for drafting him and then extending him. Should San Francisco have a season akin to what happened last fall, that could be very problematic for the current regime. People have gotten frustrated with head coach Kyle Shanahan, and the same could be coming for Lynch as well.
For now, the 49ers must continue to put their trust and faith into Purdy because they no other option.