SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The 49ers’ arduous summer of contract negotiations ended with San Francisco handing out megadeals to stars Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk in time for them to be ready to be on the field for the start of the season.
Next up could be Brock Purdy, who will be in line to go from one the NFL’s biggest bargains as a star quarterback playing on a seventh-round draft pick contract to a deal worth in excess of $50 million a year when he is first allowed to negotiate an extension following this season.
“Brock has, obviously, outplayed a ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ contract. So, I mean, I would be thrilled — absolutely thrilled — to not only see, but to watch his life change after something like that because he deserves it,” Williams said this week. “If there’s any great American story that you can look for in the NFL, it’s this one right here. Nobody ever thought he could do what he did. He still doesn’t look the part when you bring in the last first-round quarterbacks, you’re probably going to look at him and be like, ‘He doesn’t fit.’ But he’s better than all of them. And I think his play speaks for itself.”
San Francisco has been planning for Purdy’s big contract, with owner Jed York saying early in the offseason that he knows his quarterback will cash in soon enough.
The Niners have given out several contracts at or near the top of the market. The four-year, $120 million extension for Aiyuk and the three-year, $82.7 million deal with Williams were the latest.
Those came a year after Nick Bosa set the standard for defensive linemen with a five-year, $170 million extension. Receiver Deebo Samuel got a deal worth $23.85 million a year in 2022, while running back Christian McCaffrey, linebacker Fred Warner, tight end George Kittle and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave are all among the highest-paid players at their positions.
That was made easier by the fact that Purdy was playing on a four-year, $3.7 million contract as the last pick in the 2022 draft. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Purdy is first eligible to negotiate an extension to that deal on Jan. 6 — the day after the regular season ends.
San Francisco enters the season with more than $45 million in salary cap room that will be carried over to next season to give more space for Purdy to get paid.
“I’m super, super proud of him, man. I love the kid to death,” Williams said. “He deserves every dollar coming his way. I want to help him get exactly what he deserves.”
After winning his first seven starts as a rookie, Purdy took his play to another level last season when the led the NFL in passer rating (113) and yards per attempt (9.6), ranked third in TD passes (31) and had a franchise-record 4,280 yards passing.
That made Purdy an MVP finalist and sets him up for the big payday. There are already eight quarterbacks making at least $50 million a year, with Purdy likely to join that group.
With Purdy making $985,000 this season — less than what 66 other QBs will be paid in cash this season, according to OverTheCap — he has turned to endorsement opportunities to make up for it.
He has done commercials for John Deere, Applebee’s and Western wear company Ariat.
“With the lifestyle and the privacy for my wife and I and the things that we’re able to do with my family outside of football, we’ve got to make some kind of money somehow,” Purdy said. “So marketing’s a great opportunity for us. … I’m trying to provide for my wife and my family moving forward with our life because you never know. Tomorrow’s not promised. So, we’ve tried to be smart about it, but there’s been some good opportunities this offseason and that’s why I’ve been able to do some.”
NOTES: RB Christian McCaffrey said there’s no doubt he will play Monday night despite missing four weeks of practice with a sore calf and Achilles tendon. … DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and LB Dee Winters (ankle) didn’t practice for a second straight day. … G Aaron Banks (finger), RB Isaac Guerendo (groin), S Talanoa Hufanga (knee) and WR Jauan Jennings (ankle) were limited.
