San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York is steering clear of the contract negotiations between the team and quarterback Brock Purdy. The goal is to secure a long-term extension that would make Purdy one of the NFL's highest-paid players. The challenge lies in determining fair compensation without compromising the 49ers' ability to build and maintain a competitive roster.
At the NFL's annual meeting in Florida on Tuesday, York was asked if he considers Purdy a top-10 quarterback.
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"I think he is. I think he's great," York responded. "Especially when you combine him with [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and you combine him with what we have. He's a heck of a quarterback, and we want him to be here for a long, long time."
The 49ers have already made sacrifices to make that happen, parting ways with several key players this offseason to free up future cash spending for Purdy's contract.
"When you sit down with your guys, and figure out where you want to go, what do you want to build, and you make the decision that you want to pay a quarterback that has obviously been underpaid for his first three seasons in the NFL, when you make that change, you have to make sacrifices somewhere," York said.
"It's a decision that we made collectively, and we're hoping that we make somebody the highest-paid player in the history of our franchise, and that was a decision that we made, probably in the middle of the season."
York is optimistic about how negotiations have progressed so far.
"I have every hope and every expectation that Brock is going to be a Forty-Niner for a long, long time," he said.
The 49ers hope negotiations with Purdy don't stall as they have in previous years, creating significant offseason drama. That would not be ideal for a team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 6-11 season.
The 49ers are eager to avoid drawn-out negotiations that could create offseason drama—something they've dealt with in the past. However, York acknowledged that these situations don't always go as planned. A player will sign when they feel the deal is fair, while the team must also ensure the contract aligns with its long-term salary cap and roster-building strategy.
"I don't negotiate contracts, but any conversations that I've had with Brock, personally, have been great," York said. "So I feel good, and when he's ready, we'll sit down and finish it. It shouldn't be that hard to do."