The San Francisco 49ers are mapping out their financial future, making difficult decisions to balance short-term cap hits with long-term stability. They're willing to part ways with expensive, underperforming assets—like Deebo Samuel and Javon Hargrave—if it means securing a healthier salary cap outlook. After all, their financial flexibility is about to change.
"They're kind of out of that window where they have the best bargain in NFL history with the cheapest quarterback you could ever imagine being your starter, where you just spend whatever money you want around him and everything is fine," NFL insider Ian Rapoport said over the weekend.
The goal of this offseason is to get younger, which means moving on from high-priced veterans. With Brock Purdy set to command one of the league's largest contracts, the team will have less money to spend elsewhere.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst Thomas Valentine recently examined each NFL team's offseason objective. For the 49ers, the priority was clear: securing Purdy's future.
"The 49ers were disappointing in 2024," Valentine wrote. "Injuries held the team back, but the overall play of the group, especially on defense, was below expectations as they finished with a 6-11 record."
Injuries played a role in the team's struggles, but as one of the league's older rosters, the 49ers are looking to reinvent themselves. Before they can do that, they must lock down the most important position on the roster.
"The main takeaway from the 2024 season is that the 49ers are set with Brock Purdy as their franchise quarterback," Valentine continued. "Purdy earned an 82.4 PFF overall grade, ranking 10th among quarterbacks, and is coming into the final season of his rookie deal. The goal is clear for the 49ers in that they should tie Purdy down to a long-term deal.
"John Lynch and the front office have been vocal in their aspirations to re-sign Purdy, and that'll likely come between now and the start of training camp. The question is how big the contract will be, but the sentiment remains that San Francisco will want to build around Purdy."
Lynch confirmed last week that contract negotiations have begun but declined to share details. However, he made one thing clear: "We want Brock to be our quarterback as long as we're here and beyond, and we'll leave it at that."
He added, "I think the final thing, there's no guarantees that we get something done, but my experience has been, when both sides are motivated, there's ample opportunity to do so, and we've been able to do that."