After playing 40 games over three seasons in San Francisco, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is due for a contract extension.
Since the 2022 season, Purdy has thrown for 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, adding 480 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
Purdy’s best season was in 2023, when he completed 69.4% of his attempts for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
This past season, Purdy ranked 10th in passing yards (3,864) and 7th in QBR (68.0) among all NFL quarterbacks, but there’s been quite the debate about how much the 49ers should be willing to invest in him long-term.
Purdy was the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, earning the moniker of “Mr. Irrelevant,” but has proven to be anything but since then. San Francisco General Manager John Lynch recently said that Brock Purdy is “our guy” and that the team is “interested in him being around here for a long time.”
But, NBC Sports’ Phil Simms isn’t so sure that the 49ers should be willing to pay him market money to be a franchise quarterback.
When it comes to the Brock Purdy conversation, I would pay him nowhere near market money,” Simms said. “Brock Purdy is a good quarterback, certainly, but we know a lot of quarterbacks can go into San Francisco and look pretty good. He’s what, a top 20ish quarterback? Top 20. And to the point of where his contract is and what he’s made to this moment, I mean if I’m the 49ers, I’m offering him 30M. I’m offering him 25M and I’m going ‘go ahead, tell me who else out there is going to give you that money and make you the starting quarterback somewhere. Baker Mayfield is making 30M, and you’re not even close to as good as Baker Mayfield, sorry’.”
By comparison, Simms is correct, at least for now.
Baker Mayfield just became the franchise quarterback in Tampa Bay this year and he’s repaid the Bucs by throwing for 4,500 yards (3rd) and 41 touchdowns (2nd) while completing 71.4% of his attempts.
Still, saying that Purdy isn’t worth market money feels like a slight. He’s proven that he can win with the roster around him and there are teams all over the league that would kill for that to be the case.
“And that’s where the rubber has to meet the road. At some point one of these teams is going to have to go ‘just because he’s our starting quarterback doesn’t mean we have to pay him as one of the five highest paid guys in all of football’. That’s insane and it’s ruining teams. There’s a short list of guys who should be in that category. They better be careful in my opinion, with the Brock Purdy contract and that whole situation.”
