To pay Purdy, or not to pay Purdy? The San Francisco 49ers have already made their intentions on this question clear. Barring a change of heart, they’re going to give Purdy a contract extension. Earlier this week, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported that the two parties “intend to finalize a deal before the 2025 season.” Their “active negotiations,” per Schultz’s sources, are centered on the “$50-$55 million” range.
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This indicates that there’s not much uncertainty surrounding just how large Purdy’s new pact will be. However, there’s major disagreement on whether this is how large it should be.
During Friday’s episode of Speak, T.J. Houshmandzadeh addressed Purdy’s pending extension. He claimed, “whatever somebody is going to give you is fair.” But if he were in the 49ers front office, he wouldn’t be doing so.
“I’m not going there. I’m not doing it, man. My max is $47 [million]… [because] Kyler Murray is the 11th highest-paid quarterback at $46.1 million. I’m not giving Brock Purdy more than Jalen Hurts. Jalen Hurts is at $51 [million]. I’m not giving you $50 million. $47 [million is] what I’m going to do.”
Houshmandzadeh pointed to Purdy’s 1-6 record against playoff teams in 2024 as cause for pause on a deal of this magnitude. Keyshawn Johnson added to Houshmandzadeh’s take by revealing Purdy had nine touchdowns and 10 turnovers in those contests. From there, another panelist took the reins.
Ric Bucher echoes Houshmandzadeh’s opinion on Brock Purdy
NFL contract hierarchies often follow the structure of a relay race. One player holds the baton as “highest-paid” for a short amount of time, then they pass it on to someone else. Rinse and repeat. We’ve seen this phenomenon occur this off-season. From Mar. 5-17, we saw three different players become the highest-paid non-quarterback (by average annual value) in NFL history:
- Mar. 5 – Maxx Crosby ($35.5 million)
- Mar 9 – Myles Garrett ($40 million)
- Mar. 17 – Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million)
Quarterback salaries are in another stratosphere than other players’ paydays, but similar events transpire. Nearly every signal-caller with a top 10 salary has set a pay record in some form or fashion. Dak Prescott received the largest salary ($60 million) in league history last September. Josh Allen got the most guaranteed money ($147 million) in NFL history the same day that Garrett signed his extension.
While this may be tradition, Ric Bucher thinks it’s a foolish practice. He says he has “no problem” with the 49ers wanting to “go forward” with Purdy but wholeheartedly believes they shouldn’t touch a $50 million salary.
“This idea that, ‘well, we just always have to pay the next guy up more than what the going rate is.’ How many teams have to make that mistake before we realize that that’s not necessarily good business?”
To play devil’s advocate, Purdy has accomplished more than some quarterbacks making $55 million per year. Neither Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love nor Tua Tagovailoa have reached a conference championship game or Super Bowl. But as Houshmandzadeh mentioned, Purdy benefits from tremendous roster construction. None of those other players have ever been surrounded by similar talent.
Regardless, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch believe Purdy is the man who can get San Francisco over the hump. He’s going to be their quarterback for the foreseeable future. And whether 49ers fans want to or not, they’re going to get a front-row seat to see if Shanahan and Lynch are right.
