In 2022, the San Francisco 49ers took quarterback Brock Purdy with the last pick of the NFL Draft. Now, he’s slated to become one of the highest-paid players in the league.
On Friday, Purdy’s agent, Kyle Strongin, told NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero the 49ers and the 25-year-old QB agreed to a five-year, $265M contract extension. He will reportedly receive $181M in guarantees, including $165.05M in the first three years of the deal.
The deal will pay Purdy $53M per year, slightly less than the average annual salary of Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow ($55M per year). However, he now has a higher average annual salary than Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ($52M per year), a two-time MVP.
Is Purdy worth that kind of money? That’s debatable.
He thrived in his first two seasons with the 49ers when he had weapons, like running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
The Iowa State product led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game during the 2022 season.
The following year, he guided the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII. They lost the big game 25-22 to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, but it was still an impressive season for Purdy, who made the Pro Bowl and finished fourth in MVP voting.
Last season, though, his play declined without McCaffrey (Achilles) and Aiyuk (ACL/MCL tear), who suffered injuries. In 15 games, the QB completed a career-low 65.9% of his passes and tossed a career-high 12 interceptions.
The 49ers went 6-11, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season.
Purdy’s apparent inability to elevate an offense raises questions about whether they should’ve paid him, especially after trading Samuel to the Washington Commanders in March.
Still, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan feels Purdy is key to the team’s future.
In January, the coach said the Niners are “capable of winning a Super Bowl with [Purdy].”
With that in mind, it’s easy to understand why the Niners gave him a megadeal, even if it may be a slight overpay.
