It’s a little quiet. Too quiet.
Nothing has been reported lately on contract negotiations between the 49ers and Brock Purdy. That must mean the two sides aren’t progressing.
Or, it could mean the 49ers are busy right now. It is free agency after all despite the 49ers hardly dabbling in it. Delaying negotiations isn’t anything new with the 49ers anyway.
In any case, the 49ers don’t need to be in any rush to extend Purdy. They have all the leverage. Not even the threat of Purdy holding out should cause them to cave.
If Purdy holds out or threatens it, he’s seeking a lucrative contract extension. The 49ers must not give in, as doing so would set a bad precedent.
It shows that the 49ers will cash out a player to be paid around the top of their position despite coming off a down season. Purdy wasn’t good in 2024.
The regression he displayed last season is undeniable. And if the excuse is that he didn’t have his usual stars, it only cements that he isn’t worth being lucratively paid.
The scary part about Purdy’s regression was his decision-making. He was erratic with it. That is one trait a quarterback cannot have dwindled.
It’s by far one of the top traits a quarterback must possess, especially in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He needs his quarterback to make the right decisions.
It’s part of why he doesn’t place so much power on the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. For protections, Shanahan lets the center dictate that. It removes the weight off Purdy’s shoulders.
All Shanahan wants from Purdy is to work within the structure of the offense because it is a quarterback-friendly one. Be smart, make the right play, or live another down.
Instead, Purdy on many occasions forced throws that led to turnovers or a wasted down. Investing a lot of money into a player like that is bad business.
They cannot give him an extremely high amount of guarantees and an annual salary that closes him in on $60 million. If they do, players who are coming off their regressive seasons will demand the same.
The 49ers will have opened the gates for players to ask for a handsome sum of cash regardless of performance. That is a terrible precedent to set and it’s why the 49ers mustn’t cave.
They have all the leverage here, not Purdy. Stand firm on giving Purdy what he is worth, which is no more than $50 million annually — even that is a stretch.
If he refuses, then too bad for him. He can play out the final year of his deal and get franchise-tagged after the season if he plays well in 2025.
