For all of the success that Brock Purdy was able to enjoy throughout his early days as the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, he’s somehow proven to be one of the hardest signal-callers to evaluate. What Purdy lacks in terms of natural ability and physical traits, he makes up for with adequate game management and decision-making.
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Simply put, he’s good enough not to ruin a team’s Super Bowl run, but he’s also not good enough to win the Super Bowl himself. In noting that Purdy’s ongoing contract negotiations with the 49ers have been one of the more interesting talking points of the offseason, former NFL scout turned analyst, John Middlekauff, believes that Purdy is more than deserving of a huge payday.
Even though there are question marks surrounding Purdy’s capabilities, Middlekauff suggested that the current state of the quarterback market alone is enough to legitimize his argument for an increase in pay.
“If I was his agent, and I was sitting in his shoes, in his team, in his corner, I’d say ‘I watched them give Trevor Lawrence $200,000. I watched them give Jordan Love a massive contract off of eight good games. Tua Tagovailoa, who couldn’t chew gum and walk straight in playoff games, they have him $150-$160 million guaranteed. And I should only get $100 million?” he said on his YouTube channel.
Lawrence’s contract is arguably the most egregious example in support of Purdy’s claim. Despite having just one playoff win and a losing record to his name, the Jacksonville Jaguars gifted the Clemson product a five-year, $275,000.
Meanwhile, Purdy, who’s helped produce four playoff wins, a Super Bowl appearance, and boasts a 23-13 record as a starter, is currently signed to a measly four-year deal worth just a little over $3 million. In this instance, Middlekauff is absolutely correct, the market indicates that the 49ers are underpaying their quarterback.
However, the founder of ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio, believes that a massive contract is just around the corner for the 25-year-old pocket passer. On the most recent episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Florio suggested that Purdy’s yearly salary number will “start with a five.”
Even though the 49ers waited long enough to see Purdy become the only starting quarterback in the league who has yet to sign a contract, the veteran analyst believes the deal will be worth the wait.
“I think Purdy is going to have two years fully guaranteed, sizable money, maybe like the Kirk Cousins $90 million over two years, which will be a hell of a lot of money for a guy that’s made $2.3 million from the 49ers in three total seasons of football.”
Considering that Purdy is currently being out-earned by rookie quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, a deal of that magnitude certainly would be a welcome sight. Regardless of how large or how little his new contract may be, he’ll still need to prove himself on the field.
Now that Christian McCaffrey is a year older and Deebo Samuel Jr. is no longer at his disposal, that’s going to be easier said than done.
