At this point, it’s not a matter of “if” the San Francisco 49ers pay Brock Purdy, but one of “when” and “how much”.
49ers general manager John Lynched confirmed last week that talks have begun between the two sides, and they’re hoping a deal can get done sooner rather than later.
“We have started negotiations,” Lynch told reporters Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “We’re talking. I won’t go into negotiations, [that’s] always our stance. I want Brock to be our quarterback as long as we’re here and beyond and we’ll leave it at that.”
But actions always speak louder than words and there’s a sneaky detail attached to the recent Deebo Samuel trade that helps show how much Lynch is trying to find a way to get Purdy’s deal done.
Turning down Jonathan Allen is an under-the-radar detail that links to Purdy’s eventual payday
The decision to trade Deebo Samuel wasn’t a cheap one. The 49ers actually lost around $16 million in cap room because of the deal. The good news is the salary cap officially rose from $255.4 million in 2024 to $279.2 million in 2025, a total increase of $23.8 million. Still, even with the extra cash, that’s a tough pill to swallow. As it stands, the 49ers have a little more than $34 million in cap room. They had more than $50 million before the trade.
There’s an additional detail that came out once the initial news broke and it’s the fact the Commanders tried to include Jonathan Allen in the trade, but the 49ers turned the idea down. This is big because Lynch and Co. saved both a lot of cash and cap room that can help them pay Purdy.
Not only did that save them from getting even less than a fifth-rounder in terms of draft compensation, but the 49ers also avoided taking on Allen’s $15.5 million base salary, his $1 million roster bonus, and $500k workout bonus. The combined $17 million would have taken out nearly half of their current cap space and would’ve added even more cash to an already fourth-highest total of $259,983,292. As a matter of fact, it would’ve put the 9ers at No. 2 in terms of cash being paid out in 2025.
And, when combined with the $15.4 million in cash saved from no longer owing Samuel his upcoming roster bonus, the 49ers opened up nearly $32.5 million in extra cash to use for Purdy.
Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was part of the trade discussion between the Commanders and 49ers this week as they executed the Deebo Samuel Sr. deal, per a source. Ultimately, Allen was not included, though, as Washington landed Samuel for a fifth-round pick. Allen is due $16.4 million this year, a possible hurdle. – Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
The cash aspect is so big because Purdy’s deal is likely to involve a lot of cash guarantees up front. A large signing bonus, as well as trigger dates, option bonuses, etc. that activate ahead of the season they are due are almost guaranteed to be in play. Not wanting to kick money down the road via void years like mentioned above is also important, as Purdy’s yearly cap hit will only grow the further he gets into the deal.
There’s also the fact the 49ers turned down the idea of acquiring Allen ahead of a free agency period where they’re about to lose Javon Hargrave. They’re going to have a need at 3T, especially when considering how important that spot is in Robert Saleh’s scheme. However, it’s a reasonable sacrifice to make in order to help lock your franchise QB up in long-term fashion.
There’s also the fact the 49ers could’ve taken on the contract before reducing it all the way down to the vet minimum of $1.255 million. They could add four void years to the deal, therefore, lowering Allen’s cap hit to $5,604,000. But again, it’s the cash aspect that carries the most weight in this aspect, even if dropping his cap hit by nearly $12 million also helps. Either way, it’s clear the 9ers had Purdy in mind when turning down Allen.
Now that talks have begun, I’d expect more Pudry-conscious moves to be made as the 49ers attempt to keep their signal-caller around for as long as possible.
