NFL Rumors: 49ers Want Brock Purdy Contract Extension 'Soon' amid Negotiations

The San Francisco 49ers have opened contract negotiations with representatives for quarterback Brock Purdy and are aiming to have a deal completed "soon," according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

"This was always the plan," Russini reported. "The Niners have never wavered on Purdy as their franchise quarterback, not after his breakout run, not after leading them to a Super Bowl, and definitely not now after a disappointing 2024 season."

Niners linebacker Fred Warner offered a strong endorsement of Purdy during Super Bowl week, telling Russini the 25-year-old signal-caller shares multiple traits with elite QBs:

In addition to San Francisco going 6-11 and missing the playoffs, Purdy's performance went backwards a bit in 2024. He threw for fewer yards (3,864) and touchdowns (20) than in 2023, and his completion percentage went from 69.4 to 65.9.

Still, Russini's report left little room for doubt as to the Niners' long-term belief in his abilities.

But extending Purdy means he'll go from being the biggest bargain in the NFL to significantly limiting the organization's financial flexibility. The 2023 Pro Bowler is due to earn $5.3 million in the final year of his rookie contract, and Spotrac projects his value at $59.7 million annually.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reported Saturday there's a belief from some around the league that a $55 million salary is more than fair in the present market based on what Purdy has done. Others, however, said the 49ers can play hardball since they could theoretically use the franchise tag on him in 2026 and 2027.

There's some risk with that approach, though, because it could mean San Francisco winds up paying just as much money, if not more, overall than it would by simply giving him an extension now.

The Dallas Cowboys let Dak Prescott play out the 2020 season on the franchise tag, so he got $31.4 million guaranteed for that season before hitting the market all over again. The Cowboys handed him a four-year, $160 million extension,

Years before that, the Washington Commanders had Kirk Cousins on the franchise tag for 2016 and 2017, and that created a situation where he was basically too expensive to re-sign in 2018.

The other incentive for getting a multiyear extension with Purdy done now instead of next offseason is that his salary will look less and less burdensome as more quarterbacks get paid.

Josh Allen became the second-highest-paid QB when he got an extension averaging $43 million annually in 2021. Now, that figure is only good enough to put him 14th at the position.

A $55 million payout to Purdy every season wouldn't look too bad in a few years.