San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is poised for a massive payday this offseason, and he is likely to become one of the NFL's highest-paid players. The real question is where he will rank among the top-paid quarterbacks and how the structure of his contract will impact the team's salary cap in the years to come.
The 49ers have faced challenges in recent years with contract negotiations, with several deals lingering through the offseason and causing unwanted distractions. NFL legend Jerry Rice believes the team must avoid this situation with Purdy.
"They need to get it done now," Rice said on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "They don't want any distractions this year. I think they learned their lesson from last year. The best thing, if you feel like Brock Purdy is the quarterback of the Niners, get it done. Don't let it linger into training camp and all of that."
However, Rice offers a word of caution. The 49ers must be absolutely certain that Purdy is their guy and that he is worthy of becoming the highest-paid player in franchise history.
"My thing is, though—you got to be sure," Rice added. "You got to be positive. You cannot make a mistake like that if you don't feel like this guy is completely what you need, because if you do that, there's no coming back from that."
While his warning is valid, Rice has confidence that Purdy is the franchise quarterback the 49ers have long sought.
"I believe, from just watching him, I believe he is the guy," Rice concluded. "He done taken us to the Super Bowl. He has taken us to the Super Bowl and done all of those things, and now, the 49ers just got to make sure they get this done before training camp."
Many expect the 49ers and Purdy's camp to finalize a deal quickly—even before the start of the offseason program—as both sides hope to avoid any drama related to offseason holdouts (or hold-ins).
ESPN's Dan Graziano recently projected that the 49ers will sign Purdy to a four-year, $196 million contract with $112 million guaranteed, making him one of the NFL's top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks. Naturally, this projection sparked significant debate on social media, with some viewing it as fair while others felt it was too high or too low.
Purdy is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Unfortunately, his 49ers finished with a 6-11 record, missing the postseason for the first time since 2020.
You can listen to Rice's entire interview below.