The Brock Purdy dilemma continues for the Niners. This one contract extension has everyone hooked. The Niners’ Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick of the 2022 draft, has been pushing for an extension worth at least $50 million a year. But Brock is no longer the same quarterback we saw in his first two years in the league. And that’s why the Niners are giving it serious thought. Maybe they have seen enough to make him their franchise QB for a decade. Maybe they’re not so sure about their QB anymore. They might even consider looking for a new one next season. So, where does this situation lead?
The Niners just made their first move of the offseason by trading Deebo Samuel to the Commanders. What looked like an easy move for them could, in reality, be a huge blow to the team’s dead cap. By trading Deebo, they will face a massive $31 million dead cap hit, which will limit their offseason moves in 2025. Some thought this was to clear their books for Brock Purdy’s contract extension. Now, honestly, this does not appear to be the case. Truth be told, the Niners might go the Rams way. In particular, how they dealt with Matthew Stafford, as they deal with their own QB’s contract situation.
The Rams way, replicated here, would be to first look at recent QB extensions and compare their success and other relevant factors to Brock. Then, they might informally gauge interest by seeing what teams would be willing to trade for Purdy. If teams aren’t offering higher-round picks, it would simply mean they do not see him as a great QB. To recap, Purdy has just completed the third year of his rookie contract, and is heading into the final one. If an extension is not agreed upon, the best that San Fran can do is franchise-tag him and hope no team matches the price tag that gets slapped on.
On Thursday, Mike Florio and Chris Simms, on an episode of NFL on NBC, chatted about how San Francisco should approach Purdy’s contract. Mike Florio talked about how the Niners might not be willing to pay the Iowa State alum more than $40 million. The roadblock in the way of San Francisco offering the 25-year-old a huge extension is his performance. In 2024, Purdy racked up 3,864 yards while throwing only 20 TDs.
His stats and the Niners’ downfall (from SB appearance to last in the NFC West) are the reasons many believe the team should never make the mistake of offering such a hefty contract extension to a QB they are not completely sure of. Former QB Chris Simms sides with those ‘many.‘
The case against a big contract for Brock Purdy
“$60 million for Brock Purdy? I don’t feel comfortable with that.” Chris Simms did not hesitate to say. He weighed in on why the Niners should not pay him like the other top QBs in the league. The Bengals are paying Joe Burrow $55 million annually. Well, Burrow has been exceptionally good. Even though the Bengals suffered in 2024, he ranked 1st in the league in passer rating and 3rd in overall QBR, winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The problem with Purdy is that he cannot lead the team if the other guys fall apart. RB Christian McCaffrey missed almost the entire season and a few other players suffered injuries. And the team was a nightmare to watch on the gridiron.
“This past year, when things fell apart a little bit and they lost a few guys, he’s not the guy that’s going to be able to carry your team like some of the top quarterbacks in the sport. That’s not going to happen. So where is that magic number? I guess, Mike, what do you think it is, right?” said Simms.
Chris is not the only one to think so. Fox reporter Colin Cowherd shares the same view. “Last year, when Christian McCaffrey got dinged up, Brandon Aiyuk was out, and Trent Williams was hurt, suddenly, Purdy had 12 interceptions -4th most in the league. Against playoff teams, he went 1-6, throwing nine touchdowns and ten interceptions while averaging just 18.9 points per game,” said Colin on his show The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “That was a real year for Brock Purdy – he didn’t have all his weapons, but he still had some.”
To sum it up, Brock Purdy did have some great plays during the first two years of his career. But in his third, the QB has somehow failed to establish himself as a leader who could pull the team out of trouble when needed. So, keeping that in mind, the Niners could either put a franchise tag and go one more year with him, eventually replacing him. Because no way a huge contract extension seems to be the ideal case.
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