The San Francisco 49ers aren't waiting to see how other quarterback situations unfold around the league before negotiating a contract extension for Brock Purdy. General manager John Lynch confirmed Wednesday that discussions have already begun. While he emphasized the 49ers' confidence in Purdy as their long-term quarterback, he acknowledged that nothing is guaranteed.
Lynch noted that both sides have a solid understanding of their goals for a new deal and hope to avoid prolonged negotiations.
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"He's played really well, and we know that, and we have every intention of making him our guy, and it's just coming to an agreement," the general manager said.
Lynch pointed out that under the Collective Bargaining Agreement terms, Purdy remains under contract for one more season, giving the 49ers some flexibility if talks don't go as planned. After that, the team has the franchise tag available as a fallback option, providing some leverage in the negotiations.
"So there's no guarantees, but we're going to endeavor to get it done," he said.
Despite the contract discussions, Lynch stressed that Purdy's offseason approach has remained the same. The young quarterback has remained active at the team facility and is committed to improving for next season.
"Some guys, I think it's just human nature," Lynch commented. "They're like, 'I at least got to give the image of me not being around.' No, Brock's there every day. We talk, and so it's all good."
Lynch reiterated that the 49ers want to avoid the drawn-out negotiations that have delayed past contract extensions—though he admitted he said the same thing last year.
When asked about Purdy's development, Lynch praised the quarterback's performance, saying he's been "pretty darn good," but acknowledged the room for growth.
"But Brock would be the first to tell you there's a lot of room for improvement, and Kyle (Shanahan) and the coaches have identified that," Lynch said. "I'm not going to get into all that because that's the coaches' jobs, but we've been very pleased.
"The great thing about Brock is he's wired that way. He'll be the first to recognize [flaws]. A consistent thing with players who want to be great and represent that with the way they play is that they always identify things in the offseason. ... That's very much an approach that Brock has.
"And the great news is he's healthy, so you can go focus on those things, as opposed to having to get well."
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