Quarterback Brock Purdy is poised to earn a base salary of $870,000 this season, a bargain for the San Francisco 49ers. The team enters tonight's highly-anticipated showdown with the Baltimore Ravens as the Super Bowl favorite.
While Purdy is the front-runner for the MVP award, his salary is a small fraction of that earned by other starting quarterbacks. His average salary ranks 85th among his position group. This is due to his status as the last overall draft pick in 2022. His four-year rookie deal was worth about $3.74 million, the predetermined amount specified in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
For those advocating for the 49ers to increase their quarterback's salary, the team can only begin contract extension negotiations after next season. The CBA explicitly states, "Rookie Contract for a Drafted Rookie may not be renegotiated, amended or altered in any way until after the final regular season game of the player's third contract year."
However, Purdy has an opportunity to earn a lot more this season—potentially even tripling his salary. He just needs to guide the 49ers to a Super Bowl championship and have a few other things fall into place.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, if Purdy and the 49ers return to the NFC Championship Game, the second-year quarterback will earn about $174,000 as a bonus. If he leads the team to a Super Bowl win, he can add about $164,000.
The 49ers have the best bargain in sports with Brock Purdy, and he can't get a new contract until 2025. But if the MVP candidate can win the Super Bowl this year, he stands to triple his $870k salary. Details on @NFLonCBS https://t.co/oThxOpv049
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 25, 2023
NFL sources tell Jones that Purdy could earn between $700,000 to $1 million in performance-based pay. With other bonuses, such as making the Pro Bowl, the young quarterback stands to make about $1.5 million if everything falls into place.
"And still ... that's not all," wrote Jones. "The CBA also includes what's known as the 'NFLPA Group Licensing Program,' and it's a program by which Purdy (and all players) can make extra money. The formula by which the union doles out that money is somewhat of a secret, but it involves money earned from the Madden video game as well as individual player sales."
This could mean an additional bonus in the low six figures. Jones adds that the 49ers could pay him $6,500 for each community relations or sponsor event, up to five events. Lastly, there are off-field endorsements. Purdy already has partnerships with Toyota and Alaska Airlines, so add that to the pile.
Running back Christian McCaffrey recently gifted some of his teammates, including Purdy, a PXG golf bag, a bottle of tequila, and a coupon for a custom fitting for a new set of clubs for Christmas. That's a gesture that is out of the quarterback's financial comfort zone right now.
When asked about McCaffrey's generous gift, Purdy admitted, "Yeah, financially, I wouldn't be able to cover that right now."
While $870,000 is nothing to scoff at for most people, it's very little by NFL standards, especially for a starting quarterback. But if the 49ers keep winning, Purdy will add a lot more to his bank account this season. The real life-changing money will come in 2025.
