By John Rigolizzo
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is certainly no longer “Mr. Irrelevant” with his signing of a 5-year, $265 million contract with the team on Tuesday.
Purdy led the Niners to the NFC Championship game as a rookie in 2022, then a Super Bowl appearance in 2023. He also led the league in passer rating and was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2023.
Purdy’s extension is the fifth-largest contract in the entire NFL.
“Brock is the leader of our team,” 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan said in a statement on the 49ers’ website announcing the signing.
“I’ve loved these three years with Brock. I plan on being with Brock here the whole time I’m here. Brock’s been a stud. He’s a guy I’ve got a lot of confidence in just as a human, but it starts with what he’s done in the field these last two and a half years and capable of winning a Super Bowl with him… And I know he is capable of getting the Niners a Super Bowl in the future.”
According to Spotrac, the contract pays him $53,000,000 per year, making him the eighth-highest paid player in the league. The contract includes some $181 million in guaranteed money.
Purdy’s play has certainly merited his big payday. He was named the third-string quarterback at the beginning of the 2022 season, but after injuries took out starter Trey Lance and backup Josh Johnson, he became the starter for the rest of the season.
He went 5-0 in the final five weeks of the season, becoming the first “Mr. Irrelevant” to throw a touchdown pass in a regular-season game and the first QB to beat a team led by Tom Brady in his first career start.
In all nine games he appeared in, Purdy threw for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He led the 49ers to an appearance in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He suffered an elbow injury to his throwing arm in the first quarter, but was forced to finish the game after backup Josh Johnson was lost to a concussion. The 49ers lost 31-7.
Purdy returned as the full-time starter in 2023. He appeared in 16 games, going 12-4 and leading the team to another playoff appearance. He threw for 4,280 yards and 31 TDs with 11 interceptions. He led the league in both yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (113.0). He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time. He led the Niners all the way to Super Bowl LVIII, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 25-22.
Purdy played in 15 games in 2024, throwing for 3,864 yards and 20 TDs with 12 picks. He added 323 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. Despite his statistical success, he went 6-9 as starter, and the team finished the season with a 6-11 record.
Purdy’s accomplishments are especially notable because he was drafted with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
“We did know that we liked the player,” Lynch said on the Niners’ website. “There’s a lot of people who deserve a lot of credit for that, those successes. One no longer working with us, [former quarterbacks coach] Brian Griese was very involved with that, [49ers pro scout] Steve Slowik, I’ve talked about him numerous times, but there is a great example of the process working… You can feel the conviction that they have. And so, you bring it to the entire room, and Kyle and I focus on it. We knew we wanted to add Brock.”
“I’m glad we didn’t take it to chance,” he added. “We made him the last pick of the draft and it’s served us well.”
Purdy’s contract is the headline of an expensive roster. The 49ers own three of the 30 largest contracts in the NFL in terms of total value, and four of the top 50 in terms of annual salary. The team also signed tight end George Kittle to a 4-year, $76 million extension earlier this month; they have also reportedly made Fred Warner the highest-paid inside linebacker in the league with a 3-year, $63 million deal. San Francisco also owns the highest dead cap figure in the league, with more than $81 million in cap space allocated for players no longer on the roster.
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