The 49ers have a team-building strategy that’s somewhat unique to a modern NFL that’s defined by an arms race at quarterback.
A quick assessment of the league’s landscape would indicate a top quarterback is necessary to contend. San Francisco is aiming to buck that trend and instead of getting more expensive under center, they’re actually getting cheaper.
Good production from a quarterback on his rookie contract is the fastest way to build a contender in the NFL since it allows a team to spend more in other places while they’re still inexpensive at the game’s most important position. It’s smart to pay an elite QB, but their price tags have gotten so high that in some cases it shrinks the margin of error for a front office in building out its roster.
San Francisco has had opportunities over the last couple of years to go more expensive at QB, but they’ve gone cheaper instead. A key reason they’re so cheap at that spot is that they’ll roster a pair of rookies, one of which was the final pick in the seventh round.
They also didn’t aim for a high-priced option in free agency. Instead they used their available space to add key pieces like defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and nickel corner Isaiah Oliver.
A good illustration of the 49ers’ QB situation and how it juxtaposes with the rest of the NFL’s contenders can be seen via salary cap hits.
Of the 49ers’ 15 largest cap hits this year, only two belong to quarterbacks. Their entire QB room for training camp, which includes Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen, will only cost $16,994,952 against the salary cap. Lance and his $9,301,439 cap hit account for more than half of that cost.
San Francisco’s entire QB room would rank as the 13th-biggest cap hit for a quarterback in the NFL this season. That number could actually wind up dropping depending on how extensions for some players work out.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the 49ers stack up to other contenders with their inexpensive QB room. If it works, we may see some teams try to replicate the strategy. If it doesn’t, we may see San Francisco take a big swing again to try to find a franchise QB.
Here’s a quick look at the 12 QBs who will carry larger cap hits than the entire 49ers QB room this year: