The fact that the San Francisco 49ers haven’t yet locked quarterback Brock Purdy down via a multiyear contract extension has some wondering if general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are possibly having second thoughts about paying the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
49ers linebacker Fred Warner made it known he has no doubts about what Purdy is and will become assuming the signal-caller stays with the organization.
“Everybody out there, if you have any questions about Brock Purdy, I’m here to tell you — I’m not biased. I know ball,” Warner recently said, as shared by Dianna Russini of The Athletic. “He’s the guy.”
Purdy certainly looked like the guy when he guided the 49ers to a pair of NFC Championship Game appearances and when he had San Francisco one defensive stop away from beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII last February. However, the 25-year-old more recently was unable to help the 2024 49ers overcome a noteworthy injury crisis as they fell from 5-4 to 6-11.
According to Pro Football Reference, Purdy ended this past regular season ranked seventh in the NFL among qualified players with a 67.9 adjusted QBR, 13th with a 96.1 passer rating and fifth with an average of 257.6 passing yards per game. Over 15 contests, he tossed 20 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
For what it’s worth, Russini insisted on Sunday that the 49ers “have never wavered on Purdy as their franchise quarterback” and “have started conversations with Purdy’s camp” regarding what presumably will be an expensive long-term extension. Purdy is signed only through the 2025 campaign, and some previously suggested that Shanahan may prefer having a proven veteran such as Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers in the lineup over Purdy this coming fall.
Warner isn’t among those who think the 49ers need an upgrade at the sport’s most important position.
“If you truly watch the tape and you watch all the other elite quarterbacks in this league, there’s a common thread amongst all of them: The fact that they’re able to process the game at such a high level, able to create plays with their feet and make the high-level throws up and down the field. Brock Purdy does all these things,” Warner explained. “And he was in the MVP conversation a year ago — let’s not forget that he took us to a Super Bowl and he gave us the lead before, obviously, Patrick Mahomes and them took it away from us.”
Purdy received similar votes of confidence from other teammates throughout the 2024 season, and there’s no reason to believe he wants to play for any club other than the 49ers. Logic suggests Lynch will want to get the Purdy deal done as soon as possible so the club can address other offseason issues, but it’s unclear if the young quarterback will give his employer any kind of hometown discount in negotiations ahead of the new league year that begins on March 12.
