Deviating from their usual extension timelines, the 49ers now have George Kittle, Brock Purdy and Fred Warner signed with nearly two May weeks remaining. This certainly differs from how the Kyle Shanahan–John Lynch regime has handled high-profile negotiations in the past.
The most notable of these extensions certainly went to Purdy, who is locked in before San Francisco’s OTA sessions. The seventh-round success story agreed to a five-year, $265MM deal that comes with $181MM guaranteed and $100MM guaranteed at signing. The contract also includes a favorable short-term cash structure and a no-trade clause, affirming the 49ers’ commitment to one of the modern NFL’s signature draft finds.
[RELATED: Warner Reclaims Spot As NFL’s Highest-Paid ILB]
After seeing talks with Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk and Nick Bosa approach Week 1 and previous negotiations with Kittle and Deebo Samuel run into training camp, the 49ers operated proactively with Purdy. The team made the first move, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, bringing the QB’s camp to Santa Clara for a February meeting. At that point, 49ers brass informed their starting quarterback his contract would not break records. That would have been difficult to imagine, as Dak Prescott wielded extraordinary leverage to land his $60MM-per-year Cowboys extension (a number that currently tops the market by $5MM), but it is notable the team made that point to start negotiations.
We heard in late February negotiations had begun, but the sides were already on a second meeting (in Indianapolis) by that point, Breer adds Purdy’s camp countered by pushing for a deal with a strong guarantee structure and early-years cashflow. The player’s side also successfully changed San Francisco’s stance on a no-trade clause, with Breer indicating the 49ers had initially taken such an inclusion off the table during the winter start to these re-up talks.
The final outcome did not place Purdy in the top five for AAV at his position, with the deal settling at $53MM. That number trails Prescott, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa. It matched the Lions’ Jared Goff accord from May 2024, however, and the negotiating parties viewed that deal as a good comp. Purdy’s $165.05MM number through four years betters Goff’s figure, and Breer adds that count climbs to $220.3MM over five years. Though, it is worth noting Goff’s deal made him the NFL’s second-highest-paid passer at the time.
The rolling guarantee structure’s vesting dates have yet to be revealed, but Purdy will likely see base salaries — or sizable portions of his paragraph 5 money — lock in a year out. That will provide security for a player who received just $77K guaranteed at signing on his rookie contract. Purdy will have a nonguaranteed $50MM due in 2030.
Purdy, 25, effectively saved the 49ers after their historic Trey Lance misstep. Rather than potentially see Purdy’s price rise closer to the 2026 franchise tag deadline, the 49ers likely saved money and ensured QB stability by doing a deal now. This accord already led to some veterans — from Aaron Banks to Dre Greenlaw to Charvarius Ward to Talanoa Hufanga — leaving in free agency, and it will naturally raise the stakes for the 49ers’ drafts. But the team is back in the franchise-QB contract business.
Purdy signing a five-year extension also separates him from how Goff, Love and Tagovailoa proceeded last year; each signed four-year deals. Should Purdy keep building on his surprising rookie-contract success, the 49ers will be in position to have cost certainty — on a market that should be in for a host of extensions in 2026 and ’27 — for the decade’s remainder.
It’s simple yet overlooked. Go to the Super Bowl and play hardball in negotiations. Finish 6-11? Softball.
he did go to the Super Bowl knot head…. better than Dak and a lot of others have done. and don’t tell me he is a system QB. they all are….. Amazing how QBs that don’t produce get big bucks because they were drafted high but irrelevant who has produced doesn’t deserve to be paid in the top 5.
you’re an idiot
Yes he did go to sb.But those niners teams were overall way better than any of daks cowboys teams that’s a fact.Same goes for all those other QB teams as well.Everyone keeps bringing up two years ago.LAST year he was not that great .Fact
Krack, read the first paragraph. LAST year and other years following successful seasons, contract negotiations were prolonged. It’s obvious that negotiations have been less difficult and the reason is simple, they WERENT successful last season. I’m as big of a Purdy supporter as there is but this recent negotiation followed an average season for him. And not a mvp finalist season. So Purdy, and Kittle and Warner have less to bargain with than if these negotiations had occurred after the super bowl season. Think about what YOU posted. Do you believe that if Purdys negotiations had followed the Super Bowl season that they would have been this simple? So, knothead, the negotiations DIDNT linger because they followed a 6-11 season. His Superbowl leverage was diminished. Is he great? I believe he is. BUT the question you’re not addressing in your post is is he 2023 great or 2024 average. I’m counting on a 2023 repeat
If it doesn’t work out, Lynch and Shanahan will be gone and the contract will be someone else’s problem. SEE: Trevor Lawrence.
Yeah. Or they could have been proactive. Shipped all the old guys, and bought themselves another 4-5 years along with the massive draft haul.
That isn’t the way things work anymore.
It is the Now Football League.
They’re going to end up like the late-Tomlin Steelers. I don’t know of any fan base that wants that, and there aren’t too many owners who have the patience of the Rooney’s.
It’s going to result in both of them being fired in the next 2-3 years. And they deserve it.
Their call to make. Either they ride with what they have, or trade folks for future scratch off tickets. Future scratch off tickets they may not even be around to use.
NFL isn’t for the faint of heart.
The 49ers brass really spit the bit here. And with the Kittle deal. And the Warner deal.
After the fiasco last year, they needed to look in the mirror and realize the ages of their important players were… um… well seasoned. Other than Purdy and Aiyuk. And, frankly, Purdy (like Goff) is a product of the system and players around him, and not the reason that system is successful. Those old players (CM3, Williams, Bosa, Warner, Kittle) are not going to get better. Some of them are already well into a decline. And they will take Purdy’s effectiveness along with them. It’s a fact that 3rd contracts in the NFL usually don’t work out for teams.
What the 9ers should have done is traded Purdy, Williams, CM3, Bosa, Kittle and maybe even Bosa for massive draft capital the next three years. Reset their team clock, and embraced not making the playoffs in 2025. Which, might be the case anyways.
This is what I wish the Packers would have done after 2020 with Rodgers, Adams, Bakhtiari et al. It would have resulted in a Super Bowl title in 2023.