San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy signed a lucrative contract extension last week to make him the seventh-highest paid signal caller in the league on an annual basis. But while capitalizing on his market value as a proven winner with experience at or near the top of the league in numerous statistical categories was a priority, Purdy also said he did not want to take "every penny for myself" in negotiations. The end result was a five-year, $256 million agreement to stick with the 49ers.
Purdy's deal includes $181 million in total guaranteed money with $165 million of that coming in the first three years. He secured $100 million fully guaranteed at signing.
"We want to make sure that we're working together with our organization and setting up everybody for success," Purdy said at his Wednesday media availability. "It's not just for me to get all the money, as much as I can, but also let's surround yourself with a great team and players and a great locker room. All those things matter."
The first year of Purdy's starting career, 2023, proved his tremendous upside. Not only did the Iowa State product guide the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII, but he also did so as one of the most productive offensive players in the league. He paced the NFL in yards per attempt, touchdown rate and QBR and finished fourth in MVP voting.
"I don't know if there was a narrative of 'Brock's gonna take a pay cut because he's a nice guy' or this or that," said Purdy. "But for me, man, I play in the NFL. There's 32 starting quarterbacks, and it's not the easiest job in the world. And for me, with what I've done and everything, I can hang my hat on the fact that I've had some success in this league and I'm capable of leading an organization all the way to the end, the Super Bowl. I've proved that."
Consternation around Purdy's massive contract extension abounds, at least from outside the 49ers organization, due to questions about his individual talent. Purdy, famous for outperforming expectations as the 2022 NFL Draft's "Mr. Irrelevant," regressed statistically last season. It remains to be seen how much he can accomplish without an elite supporting cast that features Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and other stars.
"For me, it's all about football now," Purdy said. "However they use the cap space and all that kind of stuff, that's not my job. My job is to now go and win games and lead this team. But I'm extremely happy and grateful."
