Brock Purdy is currently a bargain for the 49ers on his rookie contract this season, but the young quarterback is due for a lucrative extension in 2025 after establishing himself as San Francisco’s starter.
The situation may seem out of hand at first, Kyle Shanahan told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami on “The TK Show” Tuesday, but the 49ers coach is trying not to get too hung up on the numbers as the NFL’s quarterback market and salary cap continue to shift.
“I think that number is kind of crazy considering how the market is working at the quarterback position,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “It’s kind of like looking at real estate here and seeing how much a house goes for. I didn’t believe it at first, but then I got here and as long as I can resell it or whatever, it’s all relative. I don’t care, the numbers are overwhelming.”
So I understand all of this, [from] From a coaching standpoint, of course, you think about how it fits into the salary cap and where it goes, but you’re not going to get bogged down in, “Well, this is how much a starting quarterback costs.” … Are you comfortable with having somebody as your starting quarterback? If you’re comfortable with them, are you comfortable with them as a rookie? Are you comfortable with them on their rookie contract? Great. Are you comfortable with them when you have to pay them?
“Well, how do I compare him to everybody else? Is he a starting quarterback in this league and what does he cost? Then I look at that and I’d hold him at that level.”
Purdy, as the last overall pick in the 2022 draft, will make just over $930,000 during the 2024 NFL season. And with playmakers like Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow (the highest paid in the league at their position) making around $55 million annually, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will have to figure out how much Purdy, an MVP finalist last season, will demand when that time comes.
And despite the prohibitive cost of acquiring a quality quarterback these days, Shanahan said he has no choice but to accept it.
“I try to look at it as just a market,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “Now, from an organizational standpoint, we have to figure out cash and everything. It’s a huge issue, and that’s why I’m listening and participating in those conversations. But I also know that it’s not my area of expertise.”
“We have people who work with numbers and finances, and to me they’re the best in the business. I listen to everything they say and I don’t take it at face value. And they listen to everything I say about players’ value and how hard they are to replace.”
Purdy, who led the 49ers to Super Bowl 55 in his first full season as the starting quarterback, is highly regarded by Shanahan and the rest of San Francisco’s leadership.
While the team has a complicated puzzle to solve when it comes to paying Purdy (they first need to finalize negotiations with Brandon Aiyuk), fans can rest assured that their franchise quarterback will be secured at a more than fair price in all respects.
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