Brock Purdy’s contract extension is the San Francisco 49ers’ new top offseason priority now that their defensive and special teams coordinator searches are over.
While it would behoove San Francisco to ensure they’re getting Purdy’s deal done as soon as possible, there’s a chance negotiations could get sticky due to some of the circumstances surrounding Purdy’s first three years in the NFL.
There’s a chance Purdy commands a contract that sits at or near the top of the quarterback market. San Francisco might be wary of doing such a deal.
A more palatable contract number is one offered in a prediction from ESPN’s Dan Graziano. He wrote down contract predictions for some of the NFL’s highest-profile free agents and his deal for Purdy comes in at a very reasonable number for San Francisco.
Graziano predicts a four-year, $196 million deal for Purdy with $112 million guaranteed.
Purdy’s $49 million average annual value would rank No. 10 among QBs, and his $112 million in guarantees would be the eighth-most among QBs.
Those are both reasonable marks, especially considering how QB contracts have gone in the past. The 49ers will argue they’ll need to ensure they’re surrounding Purdy with high-end talent, so they’ll need his contract to come in under the $55-60 million mark.
Purdy’s camp would likely counter with the fact his resume is already better than players like Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence, who recently signed much heftier deals in terms of both AAV and guarantees.
Both sides seem keen on coming to an agreement in time for Purdy to report to OTAs in mid-April. If that agreement is anything close to what Graziano predicts, the 49ers will be in a great spot to surround their franchise QB with enough talent to extend their Super Bowl window.
