Could the 49ers Move On from Brock Purdy? A Shocking Take on San Francisco’s Future

The idea of the San Francisco 49ers moving forward without quarterback Brock Purdy seems unthinkable. Yet, as contract negotiations drag on, one NFL writer has made a bold claim—San Francisco should consider cutting ties with their young signal-caller rather than handing him a massive deal.

Purdy has been nothing short of a revelation since being the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s led the 49ers to two NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl—all while earning less than $1 million per year in base salary. Now, as one of the league’s most underpaid stars, Purdy is expected to land a major contract. But could the 49ers actually decide he isn’t worth it?

A Contract Standoff Brewing?

Reports indicate that negotiations between Purdy and the 49ers remain far apart, which isn’t surprising at this stage. San Francisco has already made several cost-cutting moves this offseason, possibly in preparation for a major financial commitment to Purdy. However, the team also has looming extensions for key players like George Kittle and Fred Warner, making every dollar count.

Enter USA Today’s Jarrett Bailey, who argues that Purdy may not be worth a top-tier quarterback contract.

“Purdy is not an elite starter”

Bailey doesn’t mince words when evaluating Purdy’s place among NFL quarterbacks.

“Purdy is not an elite starter, let’s get that out of the way,” Bailey wrote for Touchdown Wire. “He’s not Josh Allen. He’s not Patrick Mahomes. He’s not Joe Burrow. He’s not Lamar Jackson.”

While advanced metrics have favored Purdy—ranking him seventh in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play—Bailey notes that similar stats once praised Jimmy Garoppolo, who led San Francisco to a Super Bowl in 2019. More concerning, Bailey highlights that among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts in 2024, Purdy ranked 25th in catchable pass percentage and 32nd in on-target percentage.

“Now look, it’s not all bad, of course,” Bailey admits. “Purdy was also seventh in the league in positive play percentage, third in big-play percentage, and was on the lower end of busted play percentage. But he also had by far his worst season in the same year where Christian McCaffrey was gone for a vast majority of the year. They needed him to step up, and frankly, he didn’t.”

The 49ers Hold the Power

While fans and analysts debate Purdy’s value, Bailey suggests that San Francisco holds the upper hand in contract talks. Instead of caving to Purdy’s demands, he argues the 49ers could simply force him to play out his rookie deal—or even trade him.

“You don’t pay the 14th-18th-best quarterback in the NFL over $45 million per year, and you certainly don’t give him $60 million per year,” Bailey wrote.

His reasoning? Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have already shown they can win without a superstar quarterback. If they won with Garoppolo, why couldn’t they do the same with someone else?

A Shocking Solution: Trade Purdy?

Bailey takes his argument a step further, proposing an eye-opening scenario:

“Purdy isn’t the engine that makes this thing go—Shanahan is. Plus, the 49ers are already starting a quasi-rebuild. They may as well go all in, trade Purdy for draft capital, and draft a new quarterback to restart the process. They’ve done it successfully before. And as long as Shanahan is the guy under the headset, they can do it again.”

Would the 49ers actually consider moving on from Purdy after all he’s accomplished? The idea seems extreme, but as negotiations continue, one thing is clear—the franchise’s next move will shape its future for years to come.

What do you think, Niner Faithful? Should the 49ers give Purdy the bag, or is it time to consider an alternative?