San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be eligible for a contract extension the moment the clock hits zero in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals. That's when the team's attention is expected to shift toward negotiating a long-term deal with their third-year signal-caller. The burning question is: how much will Purdy's camp demand?
Has Purdy's performance this season lowered his market value? Will he settle for less than top-tier quarterback money, or will he aim for a contract exceeding $60 million annually? Such a figure would significantly strain the 49ers' ability to spend elsewhere, jeopardizing the abundance of talent that has supported Purdy's success over the past three seasons.
"Purdy is a fascinating case study for NFL teams' comfort levels paying top dollar to quarterbacks who are very good but outside the elite group," wrote Jeremy Fowler in a feature for ESPN.
The NFL insider highlights that the 49ers are willing to engage in tough negotiations, citing last season's contract dealings with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk as an example. However, drawn-out talks with Purdy's camp would be risky. The team likely hopes to avoid the lingering issues that affected Aiyuk's early-season performance after prolonged negotiations.
But what happens if talks with Purdy go south? Fowler presents a dramatic contingency plan: the potential acquisition of a veteran quarterback. And no, it's not Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons.
"And if for some reason things go poorly and the 49ers need contingency plans, I can think of one quarterback who is playing for a lot: New York's Aaron Rodgers," Fowler wrote. "What's interesting about Rodgers is he could finish with 4,000 yards and close to 30 touchdowns on the season. Not bad, amid all that has gone wrong."
Given how poorly Rodgers' tenure with the Jets has gone, many fans likely view the 49ers taking a chance on the polarizing quarterback as unlikely.
Fowler's ESPN colleague, Dan Graziano, weighed in on the possibility.
"I've covered this league long enough to know that GMs and team owners do objectively damaging things to their franchises all the time when they absolutely should know better," Graziano wrote. "So while I can't even conceive of one mildly decent reason for a team to turn to Rodgers in 2025 after the way things have gone for him with the Jets, I acknowledge the possibility that some team might."
Purdy's contract negotiations are shaping into one of the most compelling offseason storylines. General manager John Lynch and the 49ers' front office face a critical decision: determining Purdy's value and solidifying the quarterback position for the foreseeable future without jeopardizing the team's ability to compete.