While recent reports suggest Brock Purdy is seeking a contract extension worth $50 to $55 million, a new idea is circulating among San Francisco 49ers fans: trade Purdy and draft Shedeur Sanders.
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The push to move on from Purdy stems from the 49ers’ disappointing 2024 season, where they finished with just six wins, landing fourth in the NFC West. But for Rich Eisen, who has been accused of treating Purdy like his third son, the idea of replacing him with Shedeur Sanders made no sense.
A caller named Dante from San Jose asked Eisen about the possibility of trading Purdy for Shedeur during an episode of The Rich Eisen Show. His response was immediate and emphatic.
“I think that would be nuts to do. And I understand that Shedeur Sanders would be starting from scratch, and you don’t pay him the kind of money that lots of people still think Brock Purdy isn’t worthy of. But what does this guy have to do? I think that would be madness. You just don’t want to go into the rookie quarterback market and hope they turn out like Brock Purdy when you have the actual Brock Purdy,” Eisen explained.
Given that Purdy was the last quarterback to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl, Eisen questioned why the team wouldn’t reward him with a contract extension. After all, Purdy remains one of the lowest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history.
He signed a four-year, $3.7 million contract with the 49ers while most top quarterbacks, starting with Baker Mayfield, earn at least $33 million per year. Notably, some analysts, like T. J. Houshmandzadeh, oppose paying Purdy in the $50 million range. However, experts like Eisen argue that replacing him and testing a new quarterback is an unnecessary risk.
Interestingly, the idea of the 49ers drafting Shedeur Sanders remains highly unlikely, especially if Deion Sanders’ own words are any indication. According to Coach Prime, the top teams looking to draft Shedeur include the Titans, Browns, Giants, Raiders, and Saints. Nowhere on that list are the 49ers.
That said, there is an outside chance the 49ers could select Shedeur Sanders, as they hold the No. 11 overall pick. But it’s hard to imagine them parting ways with a proven Super Bowl quarterback like Purdy for a relatively inexperienced prospect.
During the discussion, Eisen also defended Purdy when a co-analyst noted that a portion of the fanbase was pushing to move on from “Mr. irrelevant.”
“This year, obviously, Trent Williams wasn’t healthy, Brandon Aiyuk was out—you know what I mean? It wasn’t the same team,” Eisen explained after co-host Chris Brockman mentioned losing fantasy points due to Purdy’s 2024 performance.
Purdy finished the season with a 96.1 passer rating, throwing for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 15 games. Given the 49ers’ injury struggles and his Super Bowl performance, where he even impressed legends like Steve Young, Purdy has every reason to be their franchise quarterback.
In fact, head coach Kyle Shanahan has already made it clear that Purdy is their guy for 2025. With few elite quarterbacks available on the market, aside from a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, there’s little reason for the 49ers to make a drastic change.
At best, if they decide to draft Shedeur Sanders, it would likely be as a backup to develop for the future—while keeping their trust in Purdy intact.
