Tag: Brock Purdy

Former NFL coach thinks Brock Purdy should get major honor from 49ers

There’s a significant aspect of Brock Purdy’s career arc that flies under-the-radar while issues like his contract and his place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy dominate so much of the conversation around him. On Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX in New …

There’s a significant aspect of Brock Purdy’s career arc that flies under-the-radar while issues like his contract and his place in the NFL quarterback hierarchy dominate so much of the conversation around him.

On Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden shed some light on the topic that generally doesn’t come to the fore with Purdy: He saved the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 49ers in 2021 traded three first-round picks and a third-round pick to jump to No. 3 overall in the draft where they selected quarterback Trey Lance. That experiment failed for various reasons and Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick ahead of his third NFL season.

Part of the reason the 49ers traded Lance was because of Purdy’s emergence as a rookie in 2022 when he went 5-0 as a starter in the regular season and helped get San Francisco to the NFC championship game. Had Purdy not broken out the way he did, and had Lance continued to struggle, there’s a very real chance we’d have seen a regime change in San Francisco.

Because of that, Gruden believes Purdy deserves one of the highest honors a player can get, along with a hefty new contract.

“They should build a statue of him in San Francisco,” Gruden said in a video taken by The SF Niners on Twitter (currently X). “He covered their (expletive), man. They gave up three first-round draft choices to get a guy they got rid of. This guy’s the last pick in the draft and he’s taking you to the Super Bowl. He’s taken them to the brink. He deserves to get paid, and I’ll leave it at that.”

There’s probably some hyperbole in Gruden’s thoughts on a statue, but his point is a salient one. Regardless of where Purdy ranks in a particular QB ranking, and regardless of whether he ever does win a Super Bowl, his play over the last three seasons is a huge reason the 49ers have been able to overcome whiffing on their massive swing for a QB four years ago.

That’s unlikely to play into the team’s calculus on how much he’ll be paid, but it does underscore the equity he’s accumulated with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in San Francisco.

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49ers defensive captain has no doubt about who team’s franchise QB is

Fred Warner: Big Brock Purdy guy.

While San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has received very public votes of confidence from general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, there’s still some questions in the general NFL discourse about whether the 49ers will actually pay Purdy this offseason.

Purdy, a 2022 draft pick, is extension-eligible for the first time. He appears to be on track for a sizable new contract. One person who doesn’t have any questions about Purdy is 49ers defensive captain, All-Pro and vocal team leader Fred Warner.

Warner in an interview with Dianna Russini on her podcast, ‘Scoop City,’ gave a full endorsement of Purdy as the team’s franchise QB.

“If you truly watch the tape,” Warner said, “and you watch all the other elite quarterbacks in this league, they all have a common thread amongst all of them in the fact they’re able to process the game at such a high level, being able to create plays with their feet, make the high level throws up and down the field – Brock Purdy does all these things. And he was in the MVP conversation a year ago, let’s not forget that. He took us to a Super Bowl and he gave us the lead before, obviously, Patrick Mahomes and them took it away from us in that Super Bowl.

“This is the guy. There’s no question. Everybody out there, if you have any questions about Brock Purdy, I’m here to tell you, I’m not biased, I know ball – he’s the guy.”

Warner has been a supporter of Purdy’s since the QB first took over as the starter late in the 2022 season. The two faced off in practice with Warner and the first-team defense going against Purdy when he ran the scout team.

A linebacker’s opinion of the QB may not typically carry a ton of weight. Warner’s voice carries weight in the 49ers locker room, though. That he’s so firmly backing Purdy with contract extension talks looming is a good indicator of where Purdy stands with his teammates and the organization.

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NFL insider predicts Brock Purdy contract to reset QB market

Brock Purdy’s contract won’t sit at the top of the QB market according to Dianna Russini’s prediction.

It seems there isn’t much question about whether the San Francisco 49ers want to sign quarterback Brock Purdy to a contract extension this offseason.

General manager John Lynch didn’t mince words at his end-of-season press conference, saying “I think what we know about Brock is that he’s our guy. We’ve got, we have interest in Brock being around here for a long, long time.”

How much Purdy gets paid remains to be seen, and there’s no consensus on where exactly his deal winds up from an average annual value perspective.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini in a podcast with Robert Mays, said she thinks a deal in the $55-60 million annually will be the sweet spot for the 49ers and their franchise QB.

“Yeah, I think that’s going to be the number that they wind up sitting at,” Russini said via the Athletic. “I think the agent is going to try to get more but they’ll wind up settling in that area.

“Let’s make it clear though, I don’t think Brock Purdy’s sitting there going, ‘I’m demanding I want to be the highest-paid quarterback.’ I think for Brock Purdy if it was up to him he’d probably make a little bit more than he is now as long as he can drive his Toyota. I don’t think this is the type of player that’s in this to be the richest man in football. I think he just wants to be paid what he’s worth and continue to try to improve it and get them a Super Bowl.”

A $55 million average annual value would fall in line with recent extensions for Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Jordan Love. It would come up short of Dak Prescott’s $60 million AAV.

It wouldn’t be crazy if Purdy asked for a deal commensurate with those of Love and Lawrence considering he’s already accomplished more than both signal callers.

However, if Purdy truly isn’t worried about resetting the market at his position, his deal may fall in below those marks which would allow him to be well-paid while also giving the team some breathing room to continue building a strong roster around him.

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Brock Purdy contract talks not expected to last into training camp

Brock Purdy’s contract negotiations might look different this year.

There’s no bigger key to the San Francisco 49ers offseason than Brock Purdy’s contract extension.

Given how the team has handled some of its other sizable deals in recent years, allowing them to linger deep into training camp, the timeline of Purdy’s extension matters more than the actual dollar amount.

There’s serious danger for the club if Purdy’s contract talks last into August or September, but there’s some reason for optimism that won’t happen. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on her podcast ‘Scoop City’ indicated both the 49ers and Purdy’s camp are motivated to get a deal done earlier than the last couple of contracts San Francisco has negotiated.

“But from everything I know, both sides are very committed to getting this deal done,” Russini said via the Athletic. “I think they’re going to begin working on this very soon. This isn’t something they’re going to be pushing off or that we’re going to be discussing during training camp. I think this is something that they’re both in line with. Let’s get the ball rolling on this and figure out where we are going to land on a number.”

General manager John Lynch in his season-ending press conference indicated the team was committed to Purdy as its franchise signal caller. If that’s the case, working to hammer that deal out before the team reports for OTAs in mid-April would behoove the 49ers.

Perhaps there’s a long standoff over dollars or structure. All signs for now point to an early negotiation, which is a good sign for a contract getting done before training camp begins.

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49ers legend thinks Brock Purdy should become a running QB

49ers legend Steve Young shared how he thinks San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy can enhance the Niners’ offensive attack.

San Francisco legend Steve Young joined “Willard & Dibs” on 95.7 The Game and shared some insight on how the 49ers’ offense could improve in 2025.

Young wants to see quarterback Brock Purdy utilized in more run-pass options, likening his vision for the 49ers’ offense moving forward into some of what the Washington Commanders have been this season.

“I think Kyle (Shanahan) should call run-pass options for Brock. We should put him on the run out of the huddle where he’s going to carry it. He needs to bring that threat… He can do 80% of what Jayden (Daniels) is doing,” Young told hosts Mark Willard and Dan Dibley.

Utilizing Purdy as a designed runner more often would certainly give defenses another wrinkle to think about. More run-pass options for Purdy could help create explosive plays as opposing defenses would be forced to account for his legs more often while also keeping downfield options in play.

It’s definitely an interesting idea and Purdy has shown himself to be a capable runner. Purdy tallied a career-high 323 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns this past season.

In the process, Purdy became the first 49ers quarterback since Colin Kaepernick to record five rushing scores in a season.

Of course, the 49ers have to balance the rewards of putting more run-pass options on Purdy’s plate against the risk of opening him up to more hits. Purdy’s availability is his best ability for the franchise and NFL seasons are longer than ever before now.

Plus, Purdy ended his 2024 season on the sidelines after suffering a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation.

Statistically, the 49ers wound up as one of the league’s better offenses in 2024 in several key categories. San Francisco ranked fourth in total offense (376.3 yards per game), fourth in passing offense (249.1 yards per game) and 12th in rushing offense (127.2 yards per game).

The 49ers accrued those rushing marks minus star running back Christian McCaffery for all but four games.

But, San Francisco ranked just 14th in scoring offense (22.9 points per game). That was in large part due to turnover woes. The 49ers had the sixth-worst turnover differential in the NFL (-10) thanks to their 27 giveaways, which ranked as the sixth-most in the league.

As the 49ers look to improve upon those figures, maybe an uptick in Purdy’s ground game can help unlock more for San Francisco in 2025.

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ESPN predicts nightmare scenario with Brock Purdy’s contract

This would be… suboptimal.

There’s no bigger priority for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2025 offseason than hammering out a long-term contract extension with quarterback Brock Purdy.

ESPN’s Ben Solak isn’t so sure that extension gets done. In a piece about the upcoming offseason, Solak offered a prediction where San Francisco opted to make Purdy play out the final year of his contract.

Via ESPN:

Unlike most teams that rush to sign young free agents to big contracts, the 49ers will elect to wait on Purdy’s contract. They want to see more of the quarterback in the changing offense to be sure he’s their franchise guy — he’ll be a free agent in 2026. This will lead to a training camp holdout that ultimately resolves with Purdy playing but makes for good summer drama.

Summer drama is the very last thing the 49ers need, and “they want to see more of the quarterbacking in the changing offense to be sure he’s their franchise guy” is a stark contrast to what general manager John Lynch said at his end-of-season press conference.

“Well listen, I think what we know about Brock is that he’s our guy,” Lynch said. “We’ve got, we have interest in Brock being around here for a long, long time. He’s done so much for our organization, he’s won big games. Had a little tougher task, as we all did, this year with some of the things that happened throughout the course of the year. We just never could string games where we were all together. And through that, he continued to lead, he continued to play at a high level. So, we have every interest in him being around.”

Paying Purdy sooner rather than later has to matter even more to the 49ers than ensuring they’re squeezing every last penny out of their contract negotiations. It will get tricky, to be sure, but it would behoove San Francisco to ensure they avoid drama by having a deal done in time for Purdy to report to OTAs and mandatory minicamp with a new contract in tow.

If Solak’s prediction rings true and it’s another summer filled with contract drama for the 49ers, it could quickly become another football season filled with disappointment.

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Commanders QB Jayden Daniels can make NFL history vs. Eagles

Jayden Daniels has a chance to make NFL history on Sunday.

My phone vibrated Monday morning. When I looked, I noticed a text from a good friend.

While driving early Monday, he was listening to a radio station. The host said something that really grabbed his attention, which made him think of me, a Commanders fan.

He texted me, telling me how impressed he was that Commanders’ Jayden Daniels has a good opportunity to become the sixth NFL rookie QB to start this year’s Super Bowl.

He was shocked when I replied, “Actually, no NFL rookie QB has ever started a Super Bowl.” Another exchange, and then I realized he had heard the radio host being confused, thus leading to my friend’s confusion.

It’s not all that uncommon, actually. In his first year of NFL experience, Daniels became the sixth rookie quarterback to start a conference championship game. However, because the station was not a sports station, the host incorrectly said “Super Bowl” instead of “conference championship game.”

For the record, who are the five NFL rookie quarterbacks who have started a conference championship game?

  1. Shaun King: In 1999, King started for the Buccaneers with the third-best scoring defense. They lost to the Rams in St Louis 11-6 in a defensive struggle.
  2. Ben Roethlisberger: The 2004 Steelers with the top-scoring defense in the NFL. But they lost by 14 to the Patriots (41-27).
  3. Joe Flacco: The Ravens in 2008 went 11-5, having the third-best scoring defense. But they lost to the Steelers 23-14.
  4. Mark Sanchez: The 2009 Jets, with the No.1 scoring defense, fell to the Colts 30-19 in the AFC title game.
  5. Brock Purdy: The 2022 49ers had the best scoring defense in the NFL. However, they lost to the Eagles 31-7 in the NFC championship.

The dominant characteristic of those teams was their defense being among the best or the very best during the particular season; they were led on offense by the rookie quarterback. Yet, all lost the conference title game.

The 2024 Commanders? The Commanders did have the 5th scoring offense, but their scoring defense was all the way down at 18th.

In conclusion, those teams were led by a dominant defense in all five cases above. The Commanders, the exact opposite is the case. They are actually led by their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.

 

Cost of Brock Purdy’s contract matters less than when he signs it

Get it done.

All signs point toward the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy working out a long-term contract extension this offseason.

There’s always a chance something doesn’t get done, but based on how 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke about Purdy during their end-of-season press conference it sounds like both are ready to do what it takes to ensure Purdy becomes a foundational building block of their offense moving forward.

Much of the discussion around Purdy’s deal has centered on how much he’ll be paid. Some believe he’ll reset the market with a contract in the range of $61 million in average annual value. Others think it’ll fall in the $50-55 million range.

While the structure of the deal will matter more than the average annual value, the discussion should be centered more on the timing for the 49ers.

They can’t afford to let another big-money contract negotiation bleed into training camp. Purdy told reporters on locker cleanout day that he wanted the negotiations to be drama-free. He also wouldn’t commit to reporting to mandatory offseason activities without a deal.

Given how contract negotiations for defensive end Nick Bosa, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams went the last two offseasons, the 49ers would be wise to ensure they’re paying their franchise quarterback and doing so quickly.

Having a deal with Purdy done by the time free agency opens in mid-March, or at least by the time the team reports to OTAs in mid-April, would set a strong tone for the rest of their offseason and training camp. If they use training camp as a soft deadline again where Purdy is missing OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and potentially parts of training camp, they run the risk of derailing another season before it can get off the ground.

Purdy still needs reps, especially with wide receivers like Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing. He may also be working to get his chemistry with Aiyuk back depending on when the wide receiver returns from his knee injury. The team also just needs its quarterback and team leader in the building.

There are times to pinch pennies. There are times to quibble over certain bits of contract language. This isn’t one of them. San Francisco shouldn’t let themselves just get steamrolled in the negotiations, but they should also have a much deeper urgency and be ready to make some key concessions to get a deal done.

Not getting a contract done and potentially missing their quarterback for the start of training camp pales in comparison to the damage any typical contract hang-ups might cause. Signing Purdy for a less-favorable contract in March will help far more than signing him to a more-favorable contract in August.

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Brock Purdy contract isn’t 49ers only QB question in 2025

Who’s backing up Brock Purdy?

Brock Purdy’s impending contract extension will rightfully dominate the quarterback conversation around the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, but it’s not the lone question mark at the QB position for them.

While Purdy is do to get a new deal that figures to make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid signal callers, San Francisco also has to figure out what they’re going to do behind Purdy.

QBs Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen are both slated to hit free agency in the offseason. That leaves 2024 undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai as the only other QB on the roster.

At a minimum the 49ers need to add another QB, and they’ll probably look to add two so they have four on their offseason roster. It’s hard to believe they’ll roll into next year with Mordecai as Purdy’s backup, even if they’re happy with Mordecai’s development in his rookie season.

It stands to reason Dobbs may not want to return to a situation where he won’t have a chance to start. He spent most of 2024 as the third-string QB behind Purdy and Allen.

Allen acquitted himself well in his lone start of the year in Green Bay, but he fell behind Dobbs on the depth chart for the final game of the season when Purdy was out with a right elbow injury. It’s not a slam dunk that the 49ers are fine with Allen as their QB2 again next year.

What San Francisco can’t afford to do is ignore the position given what happened at the end of the 2024 season when Purdy took a helmet to the elbow in Week 17 and had to miss the season finale. After nearly two full seasons of healthy QB play it became easy to forget the injury-driven tumult that under center that preceded Purdy.

He hasn’t been hurt as often as a player like Jimmy Garoppolo, but the need to insulate themselves from a QB injury is still there. Finding a player they believe can step in and win some games if Purdy has to miss time is imperative to the 49ers’ offseason to-do list.

Perhaps it’s Allen. He lost his start in Green Bay, but head coach Kyle Shanahan was complimentary of the veteran’s performance in his first start since 2021. Perhaps it’s Dobbs after his 326-yard outing against the Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps it’s Mordecai or a 2025 draft pick.

Whoever it winds up being, it has to be a player the 49ers are confident in. Simply throwing any inexpensive player behind Purdy on the depth chart puts the team in a precarious position where an injury to the QB ostensibly ends their season. Purdy’s injury late in 2024 highlighted that reality and the 49ers need to make sure they address it properly in 2025.

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What if the 49ers don’t give Brock Purdy a contract extension?

Running through a disaster scenario where the 49ers and Brock Purdy don’t agree on a new contract.

All signs point toward the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy coming to an agreement on a long-term contract extension in the offseason that makes Purdy one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL.

While that outcome appears to be a foregone conclusion, nothing is set in stone just yet and the potential for an impasse between the two sides where an extension isn’t done is on the table until Purdy puts quill pen to paper.

So, what happens if the worst-case scenario plays out and the 49ers find themselves in another contract spat with a player they view as a long-term piece of their new core?

Brock Purdy is still under contract

It’s worth noting that Purdy is still under contract for the 2025 season. It would be the fourth and final year of the four-year rookie contract he signed after being drafted with the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

If the two sides can’t agree on a deal, San Francisco could conceivably just let him play out the final year of that contract and push the extension talks into 2026.

This isn’t a route Purdy and his camp are likely going to want to go, particularly since the compensation on his rookie deal was only $3,737,012 across four seasons per Over the Cap. This is where San Francisco’s leverage lies.

What if he plays out the 2025 season without a new deal?

The 49ers would have the ability to use the franchise tag on Purdy if the two sides wind up being irreconcilably far apart on money. In that scenario he’d play the 2025 season on his rookie deal and then be on a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract that would come in somewhere north of $40 million. The franchise tag number for a QB in the 2025 season, for example, is $41,325,000. That dollar amount would go up in 2026.

A franchise tag wouldn’t necessarily keep Purdy from signing an extension at that point. Some teams use those tags just to ensure the player doesn’t bolt in free agency.

Why would the 49ers not do an extension now?

They certainly want to. General manager John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan both made that clear in their end-of-season press conference.

There may be some conflicts about Purdy’s money though after he struggled in 2024 without some of his top playmakers. It’s conceivable Purdy’s side will want a deal at the top of the market while the 49ers are wanting to give him somewhere closer to top-10ish money.

San Francisco has to think about its team-building as a whole and if they believe they can spend top QB money on other players so they can drop a new QB into a great situation, they could take that risk.

Would Purdy still play in SF then?

Maybe! It would depend on the nature of the contract negotiations, but it’s hard to believe a QB who hit the ground running as fast as he did would be cool with the team he helped guide to the Super Bowl low-balling him while every other QB gets paid.

They could either let him walk after the 2025 season, or they could trade him before the season if they’re that confident they can just find a QB capable of winning a Super Bowl.

Okay, but this all seems pretty unrealistic.

It is! This is an absolute disaster scenario that probably won’t play out. The 49ers front office and coaching staff believe Purdy is their franchise QB and that means paying him. They’ve had time to plan for paying him and the likelihood they’re so far apart on money that they reach the point of Purdy playing out his rookie contract is exceedingly slim.

The 49ers do have options if contract talks go sideways, but the overwhelming odds are Purdy has a giant new contract at some point before the 2025 season kicks off.

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