Over the weekend, it was revealed that Brock Purdy's new contract, officially signed on Tuesday, includes a no-trade clause. While that detail caught attention, its significance may be overstated. Given the size of Purdy's deal, any potential trade would almost certainly require his approval. No team is likely to take on such a massive financial commitment without knowing Purdy is willing to play for them.
Still, the inclusion of the no-trade clause in the five-year, $265 million extension mattered to Purdy, and the newly signed quarterback explained why on Wednesday.
"I think it's important, yes, but also that's something that my agent and I had discussed with what other quarterbacks have around the league and stuff in their contract," Purdy said. "But, for me, was it going to be a determining factor in signing it or not? No.
"We were very grateful that we had it in there, but at the end of the day, like I said, everything else that the contract entails, we're extremely excited about, so we're just grateful how it turned out."
Throughout negotiations, Purdy remained as hands-off as possible, trusting his agent, Kyle Strongin, to navigate the process with the 49ers. Of course, Strongin kept him fully informed along the way.
"We both, before the whole thing started, sat down, and we were like, 'All right, this is our vision. This is, hopefully, what we can get out of it, and get what you deserve and have earned, and go from there," Purdy said. "But, obviously, we want to make sure that we're working together with our organization and setting up everybody for success.
"It's not just for me to get all the money, as much as I can, but also like, hey, let's surround yourself with a great team, and players, and a great locker room, and all those things mattered. So, we definitely talked about that."
Protection was key for Purdy. After earning just $2.6 million over his first three NFL seasons, he'll now make more than that per game.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Strongin began negotiations at $65 million per year, likely knowing that number wouldn't stick. Despite their confidence in the young player, the 49ers were never going to let Purdy reset the quarterback market or become the NFL's highest-paid player. Doing so would impede the team's ability to remain competitive.
Instead, the two sides landed on a deal that ties Purdy with Jared Goff as the league's seventh-highest-paid player, an appropriate figure for a quarterback who, after being the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, led the team to two NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl in his first two seasons.
"There were some things that we wanted in there to protect me down the road and whatnot in the contract, and in the language and all that stuff," Purdy said. "But he did an amazing job with handling that and then breaking it down to me, like what it is, what it means, and what we need to get, what we can give up, all that kind of stuff. That's just negotiating. So, like I said, he did an amazing job and I'm very proud of him."
Comments