Brock Purdy recently received a contract extension from the San Francisco 49ers, and opinions are split on whether it was well-deserved. The deal is for five years and pays $265 million, with $182 million guaranteed. And, while that sounds like a lot of money on the surface, it’s not as much as one might think.
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Purdy ranks only seventh among the highest-paid quarterbacks. Several other playmakers, some with less success than Purdy, are earning more — of course, Tua Tagovailoa being a notable example.
Tua signed his deal in July 2024 for four years and $212 million. That means he makes $100K more than Purdy on an average annual basis, which is wild considering he’s a massive injury risk, and Purdy has outperformed him in two of the past three seasons. But… interestingly, the 49ers QB never seemed focused on becoming the highest-paid player; for Purdy, it’s about much more than just the paycheck.
While negotiating the deal, Purdy told his agent that his goal was to find a way to earn well while ensuring the team was built around him for success.
“It’s not just for me to get all the money, as much as I can, but also like, hey, let’s surround yourself with a great team and players and a great locker room and all those things mattered,” Purdy said in a transcript released from the 49ers.
This is exactly the mindset Tom Brady had when negotiating contracts with the New England Patriots. It’s also what Mahomes demonstrated in recent memory. When he signed his 10-year deal in July 2020, its value was bound to change over time. The best of the best have shown us that adjusting their salary for the team’s benefit is a smart strategy — one that can lead to Super Bowl victories.
That’s why Redditors are quite happy with Purdy’s numbers. They’re even more impressed by the young QB’s mentality, which can take him a long way.
“Purdy definitely took a discount. Not sure how he is making less than Tua two years later without a discount,” a Redditor commented.
“He easily could have gotten more. How did he not surpass Tua? He took a discount,” someone agreed.
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“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, just the headline seems a bit more generous than what he said. Guy got what he was worth but also structured it to the team’s benefit,” one argued.
There were also a few skeptics. “Nothing sets a team up for success like asking for $265M when they can’t even pay their current players,” one said.
Except, the Niners have managed to pay most of their players this offseason. It was really only Deebo Samuel they had to escort out of the building. In return, they picked up a high-upside running back in the fifth round named Jordan James. Not too shabby.
Furthermore, San Francisco has handed out contracts to George Kittle, Fred Warner, Kyle Juszczyk, and now Purdy, this offseason. So, we don’t really know what that last Redditor was alluding to!
All in all, it was a solid contract extension that the Niners locked Purdy into. It’s valued correctly, and the guaranteed money isn’t so much that they should feel uncomfortable cutting ties if Brock struggles. But it’s hard to envision that happening. Even in a down year last year, he still ranked 10th in passing yards and 7th in quarterback rating.
