From a financial lens, no QB in recent memory has provided a return on investment like Brock Purdy has for the 49ers. Mr. Irrelevant, drafted in 2022, exceeded all expectations by leading the 49ers to an NFC Championship in his rookie season and to the Super Bowl the following year. Yet, there are still doubts about giving him a high-paying contract, including from Chad Johnson.
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On the latest episode of Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe and Johnson engaged in a heated debate over Brock Purdy’s upcoming contract extensions. In Ocho’s eyes, the 49ers QB is not a $60 million player. He asserts a $60 million QB should elevate his teammates even when plagued with injuries — something Purdy failed to do this season, as the 49ers finished with a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs.
“As a football person who understands the game and the different positions… Brock Purdy is not a $60 million QB and I mean that with no disrespect… When you think about a QB making $60 million (equal to the highest paid QB) or above, you’re looking at a QB… that even with the injuries, his play can elevate everybody else… what goes on around him doesn’t matter because we’re paying him $60 million…”
For Shannon Sharpe, however, this is all conjecture. The ace analyst believes that regardless of Purdy’s skill level, the quarterback should be rewarded for taking the 49ers to a Super Bowl and an NFC Championship—achievements that even the highest-paid player, Dak Prescott, has not reached. Additionally, there are several other QBs who have failed to win in the playoffs, something Purdy has accomplished in his first two years.
As far as elevating teammates is concerned, Shannon noted that none of the current crop of $50-$60M salaried quarterbacks can do that except Patrick Mahomes.
While Sharpe conceded that Purdy is no unicorn like Lamar or Mahomes, using “elevation” as an argument seems unfair. He pointed out that even Joe Burrow would struggle with his performance if Ja’Marr Chase left the Bengals. The same can be said about QBs like Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Dak Prescott, and Jordan Love. And they haven’t even led their teams to the Super Bowl as Purdy has done.
Ocho, however, stuck to his opinion. The Nightcap co-host maintained that, considering talent, Brock doesn’t deserve a penny above the “$30 to $45 million range” as salary.
All sides considered, Shannon Sharpe does come out on top of this debate. While Ocho reigniting the system player argument is fair on his part, the same logic can also be applied to Tua, who earns $53 million a year.
Underpaying Brock for this reason would likely affect his morale and potentially his passion for football. According to reports, 78% of professional athletes go broke within three years of retirement.
Therefore, Purdy needs to earn as much as possible during his playing career. Considering all these factors, it would only be fair for the 49ers to pay Purdy in line with QB market standards.
