Peter Schrager doubts Brock Purdy will earn over $55M annually from 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers would undoubtedly prefer to resolve their quarterback situation sooner rather than later. The team is negotiating with Brock Purdy on a contract extension, sparking significant debate about his standing among the NFL's top quarterbacks and market value.

When asked if Purdy is a top-10 quarterback, 49ers owner Jed York praised the 25-year-old.

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"I think he is. I think he's great," York said. "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."

On Tuesday morning, new ESPN analyst Peter Schrager joined The Pat McAfee Show to discuss the potential outcome of Purdy's contract talks.

"I don't see Brock Purdy making north of $55 million," Schrager said. "I don't see Brock Purdy being one of the top highest-paid quarterbacks. It's going to be a discussion with his agent, him, and what does he want? What does he need?

"And you never want to take a hometown discount, but you also realize that—you're Brock Purdy—is $50 million the right number? Is 48 not the right number? Is 45 the right number? Can 40 be the right number?"

A deal averaging in the low $40 million range seems unlikely. At the same time, after years of heavy spending, the 49ers may be reluctant to push Purdy's salary toward the top tier of quarterback contracts.

"So, curious to see where it goes out here," Schrager added. "But obviously, they want to sign Brock Purdy. That's been [general manager] John Lynch's stance forever."

Schrager doesn't expect Purdy to land a contract in the range of Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) or Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers), who earn $55 million and $52.5 million per year, respectively.

Instead, Purdy may have to settle for less.

"The Niners, it's almost like the buck stops here," Schrager said. "Let's be fiscally smart right now because we might have made some errors in the past."