Projecting Brock Purdy's Contract amid 49ers' Updated Salary Cap after Kittle's Deal

After getting a deal done with All-Pro tight end George Kittle, the San Francisco 49ers can turn their attention toward finalizing a long-term extension with Brock Purdy.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that Kittle and the 49ers agreed to terms on a four-year, $76.4 million extension that will make him the league's highest-paid tight end.

The 49ers entered the day with $39.4 million in cap space, not accounting for any potential changes to Kittle's cap number with his new contract.

Per The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the 49ers and Purdy have been "inching closer" to a deal that would make him one of the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL by average annual value.

That would set the floor at Jalen Hurts' five-year, $255 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles ($51 million annually). The more-likely projection would have Purdy's deal coming in somewhere between the group of four quarterbacks making $55 million (Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence) and Tua Tagovailoa's $53.1 million annual salary.

If you split the difference between those deals right around $54 million per season, that would project out to a total of $270 million on a five-year extension for Purdy.

There has been an expectation that Purdy and the Niners are getting close to a new deal after he showed up for the first day of offseason activities on April 22.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the highest-paid quarterback at $60 million per season, but it would seem highly unlikely Purdy could get to that level even if he wanted to.

When Prescott signed his deal with the Cowboys last September, he had all the leverage because his previous contract signed in March 2021 included a no-tag clause that would have granted him true free agency after the 2024 campaign if he decided to test the market.

Purdy does not have the same level of control in his talks with the 49ers. They could theoretically use the tag on him in back-to-back years and pay him roughly $100 million over a three-year period from 2025 to '27.

There are certainly financial drawbacks for the team with the franchise tag. All of the money is guaranteed for that season, which can put a huge strain on the salary cap.

A long-term extension allows the team to spread out all of the guaranteed money over a period of several years, easing the cap burden on them and providing more financial flexibility.

Purdy shouldn't necessarily accept a lowball offer simply because his rookie contract has paid him a total of $2.6 million in three years. His statistical performance has him on par with some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Last season, in what was considered a down year for him, Purdy's 67.9 QBR ranked seventh among all qualified quarterbacks. He was ahead of Patrick Mahomes (67.6), Kyler Murray (66.5), Hurts (65.6) and Justin Herbert (64.8).

While few would argue that Purdy is a more talented player than any of those quarterbacks, he's been an ideal fit in Kyle Shanahan's offense since taking over as the starter late in the 2022 season.

The 49ers have been bracing for Purdy's contract for more than a year. Owner Jed York has said one of the reasons they lost so many players in free agency this offseason was to prepare for paying their quarterback big money.

It wouldn't be a surprise if by the time organized team activities begin on May 27 that Purdy and the 49ers have a deal in place.