Six NFL quarterbacks earn an average salary of over $50 million, with Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow topping the list at $55 million annually. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy could position himself to surpass those numbers next year when he becomes eligible for his first new contract.
Purdy's impending payday will significantly impact the 49ers' salary cap and ability to maintain a competitive roster. However, speaking on Tim Kawakami's podcast, "The TK Show," Kyle Shanahan said he is unfazed by the staggering figures.
Shanahan compared the situation to the California housing market, which initially overwhelmed him when he first arrived. He soon realized that the market is what it is, and there's little you can do about it if you want to live there.
"I don't get caught up on how much money that is," Shanahan shared. "I get caught up on that's how much a starting quarterback costs within the realm of it. This is the market on how much a starting quarterback costs. This is how much a starting receiver costs. This is how much a starting tackle costs. This is how much a starting defensive end costs.
"And you start to see all that and how do you want to balance out your team? What are the choices you get? And that's what you got to figure out. Are you happy with someone as your starting quarterback? If you are, are you happy with him as a rookie? Are you happy with him on a rookie contract? Great. Are you happy with him when you got to pay him? Well, how do you compare him to everyone else? He's a starting quarterback in this league. Well, what does that cost?
"And then you look at it, and that's kind of where I keep it. I don't try to say that's so much more than it used to be. I try to look at it as, that's just the market. Now you got to figure it from an organizational standpoint, the cash, all that stuff, which is a huge deal."
While Shanahan is involved in financial discussions with the front office, he acknowledges that this area isn't his expertise. The coach has great confidence in those in charge of maintaining a healthy salary cap outlook.
Shanahan contributes what he can to the conversations, discussing the importance of each player on his roster. He appreciates having many brilliant individuals looking over the team's finances and an owner willing to spend the money necessary to succeed.
"I think we all work together," Shanahan continued. "I think we communicate well together. It's not something that's easy, but that's why our business is cool, too, though. The salary cap makes it a competitive league, and everyone's got a chance, it seems like, within a three-year window, but you better make those right decisions."
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