San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy spoke to reporters on Wednesday after inking a five-year, $265 million contract extension with the team. Reflecting on his NFL journey, Purdy recalled being a young fan watching legends like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady, aspiring to one day reach their level of excellence.

Of course, Purdy knows that kind of success doesn't come overnight. As the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he understands the work required to continue developing into the elite quarterback he strives to become.


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Back in January, Purdy expressed a desire to finalize a deal before the start of the offseason program. While that timeline wasn't met, the two sides reached an agreement just ahead of organized team activities (OTAs), which begin next week. The timing helps the 49ers avoid another offseason filled with contract drama—a welcome change for a team working toward a bounce-back campaign.

"Obviously, I was hopeful to get something done early," Purdy said. "It would have been nice to have it done going into the offseason program as a whole, but obviously, there's a process to it, and both sides have their views, and that's the whole point of negotiating. But, at the end of the day, I didn't want to lose sight of the main goal here, knowing that I'm going to be the quarterback of this team this year."

Coming off a disappointing 6-11 season, San Francisco faces a pivotal year following a significant roster overhaul. For Purdy, being part of the rebuild from the start was a priority.

"I have to come in and get better, and grow our locker room, and help the new guys," Purdy said. "And I just wanted to be here from the jump, and be a guy there to continue to lead this place. Obviously, we have to get better in areas, and I have to get better, but being here day one was a huge emphasis for me, regardless of having the contract done or not.

"I had a lot of faith in, obviously, my agent and the Niners that we were going to get something done. I didn't know when exactly, but being here for Phase One was huge for me."


In recent years, high-profile 49ers negotiations have lingered deep into training camp, with some nearly pushing into the regular season. Purdy is thankful to have avoided that this time, especially with the team also finalizing extensions for tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner.

"I feel like, every year, there sort of has been someone that it's like, man, you'd like to get him done, and it's gone on pretty late," Purdy said. "Whether that has affected the locker room or not, I'm not really sure. I don't want to just pinpoint something.

"But this year, having the guys done, and being able to get back to work, and be around the guys in the locker room, and just build our culture and standard, really, from the ground up, with all the new guys that we have, it's been pretty cool.

"Everybody's bought in right now, and we're excited, obviously, to do more team activities and stuff as we move along the offseason."

Purdy added, "Having the contract done, it's been a huge blessing for the whole team and organization."


He's also proud of how smoothly the process went, crediting both his representatives and the 49ers' front office for working toward a win-win outcome.

"I have so much respect for everybody in this organization from the top down," Purdy said. "I think they know who I am and what I'm about. And I don't know if there was a narrative of Brock's going to take a pay cut because he's a nice guy or this or that, but for me, it's I play in the NFL. There's 32 starting quarterbacks, and those guys, it's not the easiest job in the world.

"And for me, with what I've done and everything, I could hang my hat on the fact that I've had success in this league, and I'm capable of leading an organization all the way to the end—the Super Bowl. I proved that."

Purdy also acknowledged the importance of balancing personal earnings with maintaining a competitive roster. The 49ers' ability to extend multiple core players this offseason suggests they may have struck that balance.

"For me, I just had faith that it was going to get done, and that these guys have my back, and that they wanted to get something done relatively quick and smooth and all that," Purdy added. "And then, obviously last week, we knew that we were at the number, and we just had to get a couple of things figured out within the language of the contract, and that it was going to be a go."


Purdy shared that he and his wife, Jenna, were golfing with teammate Jake Brendel and his wife when his agent texted him to confirm a deal had been reached. Shortly afterward, general manager John Lynch FaceTimed to congratulate him, knowing the 49ers had officially secured their quarterback for the long haul.

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