49ers Rumors: Brock Purdy Contract Still Planned and Kyle Shanahan Isn't on Hot Seat

Despite their unexpected struggles this season, the San Francisco 49ers are reportedly sticking with their plan at quarterback and head coach moving forward.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Niners still view Purdy as their franchise quarterback, and they plan on negotiating a multi-year contract extension with him during the offseason.

Also, head coach Kyle Shanahan is not on the hot seat, as the organization "fully believes in his ability to lead the team forward."

Following Thursday night's 12-6 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers fell to 6-8 on the season, putting them in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

San Francisco has made three consecutive playoff appearances and went all the way to overtime of the Super Bowl last season before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Expectations were high again this season, but several key players have missed a significant amount of time due to injury.

Purdy missed a game due to a shoulder injury, while offensive tackle Trent Williams, pass-rusher Nick Bosa, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, cornerback Charvarius Ward and tight end George Kittle have missed multiple games.

Also, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL seven games into the season, and running back Christian McCaffrey has been limited to four games due to injured reserve stints with Achilles and knee ailments.

Even when healthy, the 24-year-old Purdy has clearly taken a step back this season compared to his first two seasons.

As a rookie in 2022, Purdy took over as the starter with five games remaining in the regular season, went 5-0 and led the Niners to the NFC Championship Game.

In his first full season as the starter in 2023, Purdy went 12-4 and completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions en route to finishing fourth in the NFL MVP voting.

This season, Purdy is 6-7, is completing 65.0 percent of his pass attempts and has thrown for 3,174 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine picks.

That dip in performance is easier to accept considering that Purdy is playing on a seventh-round pick rookie contract, but if he receives a significant extension during the offseason, the 49ers will need far more out of him next season and beyond.

Shanahan is in the midst of his eighth season as head coach of the 49ers, and he has enjoyed enormous success during that time.

Overall, Shanahan is 70-59 with three NFC West titles, four playoff appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl.

Even amid the injuries, Shanahan has the San Francisco offense eighth in total yardage this season, marking the fourth straight seasons the 49ers have ranked eighth or better in that category.

Their scoring has dropped to 15th in the league, but they ranked sixth in 2022 and third last season when they were healthier.

Given that Shanahan had molded the 49ers into perennial contenders prior to this season, it comes as little surprise that the franchise does not plan on moving on from him regardless of how the final three weeks of the regular season play out.