Something may not be right between the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy. At least, that’s what an insider senses at the start of an important month.
March is the beginning of the new NFL calendar year, and teams are already focused on organizing their balance sheets. Free agency begins in a week’s time, and for the 49ers to know how much they’ll have to spend, they’d ideally like to know how much they’ll be paying their quarterback.
Purdy, a 2022 seventh-round pick, has made $1 million or less in each of his first three NFL seasons. He’s been fantastic, but has he been worth the $50 million or more per year that he’s within his rights to demand?
If the 49ers don’t extend Purdy by the NFL Draft, which takes place on Apr. 24, then Grant Cohn of San Francisco 49ers on SI believes San Francisco’s ownership could decide to trade their QB and allocate the money elsewhere.
“If the 49ers owners want to save cash so they can spend more on soccer, trading Purdy would be the best way to do that,” Cohn wrote. “Purdy will be the biggest investment the 49ers owners ever have made in a football player, and they don’t seem particularly eager to shell out massive amounts of cash right now.”
“So don’t be surprised if the 49ers ultimately lowball Purdy, he rejects their offer, they trade him for a first-round pick and replace him with a rookie who will be cheap for the next four years.”
The York family, which owns the 49ers, has been looking into selling a 10% stake in the football franchise and purchasing a controlling stake in Rangers FC of Scotland, per Cohn. The family is already the majority owner of Leeds United of the Premier League.
Does any of that indicate that the 49ers won’t be willing to pay Purdy market value? Perhaps not, but the front office has also seen what an advantage it is to have a QB on a rookie contract, enabling much more spending across the rest of the roster.
By no means is a Purdy trade a lock, but it’s certainly something to monitor for the next month-plus.
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