For the second time in a month, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon has questioned whether the San Francisco 49ers will ultimately regret quarterback Brock Purdy's blockbuster contract. In July, Gagnon labeled the five-year, $265 million extension a potential mistake, highlighting one concerning metric: Purdy owns a career passer rating of just 70.8 in the fourth quarter of one-score games.
"Clutch is critical, and he hasn't had it," Gagnon wrote in July.
Unsurprisingly, 49ers fans pushed back on the criticism. After all, the team had little choice but to lock in their young signal-caller for the long term, given how much success the offense has enjoyed with Purdy at the helm.
Could San Francisco have played hardball? Technically, yes. Purdy was already under contract through 2025, and the franchise tag was an option beyond that. But delaying a deal risked sending the wrong message to the locker room and likely would have cost even more in the future as quarterback salaries continue to skyrocket.
This time, Gagnon acknowledged that Purdy was realistically the best option available to head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. Purdy has proven to be a strong fit for Shanahan's complex, detail-driven system and was always the favorite to remain the franchise quarterback.
Still, Gagnon lists Purdy's extension among the NFL's most regrettable deals.
"Despite historically awesome numbers in the first two seasons of his career, Purdy struggled in key playoff moments," Gagnon wrote. "And then, with less support due to injuries throughout the roster in Year 3, he was exposed as his rate-based stats plummeted."
The 49ers endured an injury-plagued 2024 season, finishing a disappointing 6-11 despite entering the year with lofty aspirations. Purdy's critics view that downturn as proof he can't carry a team on his own—evidence, they argue, that he shouldn't be paid like an elite quarterback.
The quarterback's massive payday forced a shift in San Francisco's roster-building approach, with the team parting ways with several veterans and relying heavily on the draft to reload. That has fueled uncertainty entering the 2025 campaign.
"The 49ers will likely never be able to give him the support they did in 2022 and 2023, and there's a good chance we'll see more of the flaws that caused him to drop into the seventh round of the '22 draft," Gagnon concluded.
The 49ers believe they've found their franchise quarterback and paid him accordingly, betting on Purdy to help them rebound from a down year. If the team regains its form, his contract could look like a bargain.
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