Right now, Brock Purdy is the best contract value in the entire NFL. While Russell Wilson’s veteran minimum salary of $1.21 million is an absolute bargain, the San Francisco 49ers are paying their starting quarterback even less, at $1.004 million in 2024.
Not to mention, Purdy’s still under contract in 2025 for just $1.11 million. But after that, the 49ers will no longer benefit from having a highly productive quarterback on a rookie contract.
However, while Purdy’s contract may not expire until the end of the 2025 season, the 49ers will surely look to avoid a Kirk Cousins-like scenario that sees their franchise quarterback hit the open market in free agency. In other words, expect the 49ers to begin negotiating a contract extension with their young QB as soon as the NFL rules allow, when next offseason begins.
Yet, the 49ers are already bracing for the future, when they expect Purdy to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid players, but as team CEO Jed York states, it’s a “good problem” to have.
“It’s a good problem when you’re quarterback is one of the highest-paid guys on your team and in the league.”
“It’s what the market is. Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before. I don’t know how many players are making over $40 million (annually) as a quarterback right now.”
San Francisco 49ers’ CEO Jed York on Brock Purdy
Right now, there are nine quarterbacks set to have a salary of $40 million or better in 2024, but with where the league is headed, more are on the way. From York’s comments, the 49ers expect Purdy to join that group next offseason.
“When we signed Jimmy several years ago, it was the largest deal in the history of the NFL, for three minutes. But Jimmy was at ($27.5 million). That’s what the market is and you have to accept the reality of the world.
“To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports, and those guys should be paid a lot of money.”
Jed York, continued
Purdy’s excellent play early on has allowed the 49ers to continue building one of the very best rosters in the NFL, but their time to pay up is coming soon.