The San Francisco 49ers have locked up their starting quarterback for the rest of the decade.
Brock Purdy and the franchise agreed to a five-year, $265 million extension that will keep him on the team through the 2030 NFL season. The deal makes Purdy the seventh-highest paid quarterback in the NFL by average annual value (AAV) and fifth by total value.
Purdy will receive $181 million guaranteed with $165.05 million coming in the first three years of the extension.
This is the second extension San Francisco’s given to an offensive player this offseason. On April 29, the team gave George Kittle a four-year, $76.4 million extension that made him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
The final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy’s become the most successful ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ in modern history. He’s entering his third season as the 49ers’ full-time starter after taking over as a rookie in 2022 and leading the team to the NFC championship game.
He turns 26 years old this season and is likely entering his prime as a quarterback. Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the Purdy deal:
Winners
Brock Purdy
It’s hard not to start off with the quarterback himself. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Purdy’s $181 million guaranteed is on a rolling structure, meaning he’ll get close to all of it.
If he gets all of that, that’d put him second in the NFL behind only Deshaun Watson in total guaranteed money. He’s ahead of the likes of Josh Allen ($147 million guaranteed), Joe Burrow ($146.51 million), Lamar Jackson ($135 million) and Justin Herbert ($133.73 million). He’s one of the top-paid players in the NFL and is absolutely a winner because of it.
Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle
Aiyuk enjoyed a career season in 2023 as Purdy’s top target in the passing game. If he’s back healthy in 2025, he’ll be happy to see No. 13 under center for the foreseeable future. Aiyuk’s ability to separate from man coverage unlocks the 49ers’ offense as a whole and Purdy relied on him in key moments during the team’s 2023 run.
It’s a similar story for Kittle. He’s been a first- or second-team All-Pro tight end in each of Purdy’s three seasons and should be in for more productive years even as he enters his mid-30s.
Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan’s offenses in San Francisco have been efficient even when not prolific. The unit took a leap in 2019 as the 49ers reached their first Super Bowl under Shanahan with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, but much of that was due to the running game.
With Purdy, the passing game’s become just as dynamic. Their 2023 run to the Super Bowl saw the offense become a top-five passing unit for the first time under Shanahan. Product of the talent around him or not, Purdy executes the offense better than any other quarterback Shanahan’s had in San Francisco.
C.J. Stroud
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft is one of the next prominent quarterbacks up for an extension. He still has at least two years left on his rookie contract with a fifth-year option on the table for 2027. The Texans have a history of extending players sooner than later (see: Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley Jr.).
Purdy’s deal moves the needle on guarantees even if it’s not an unusually gaudy number by AAV or total money. Stroud’s team can take that into consideration during negotiations for his eventual extension.
Losers
49ers’ 2027 free agents
Purdy’s cap number will likely remain on the lower end in 2025 (under $15 million, per the SF Standard’s David Lombardi) as the total money ramps up later on. That may not affect the team’s 2026 cap space, currently $38.2 million per OverTheCap, but it’ll likely come to a head in 2027.
That’s the same offseason in which two franchise players — linebacker Fred Warner and left tackle Trent Williams — are up for new deals. Warner will be entering his age-31 season while Williams would be entering his age-39 season. With Purdy’s big deal now on the books for the next few years, handing out top dollar to those aging veterans will be even tougher.
NFC West opponents
Product of a system or not, the 49ers’ offense is better with Purdy under center. Since entering the NFL, Purdy’s been the most efficient quarterback in the league, ahead of the likes of Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jackson and Jared Goff.
That makes things tougher for opposing defenses. NFC West foes Seattle, Arizona and the Los Angeles Rams will have at least two games per year locked in with the 49ers’ best option at quarterback in place.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ extension for Dak Prescott looks even more of an outlier as other deals pile up. Prescott remains the lone $60 million quarterback by AAV. His guarantees may be lower overall than Purdy’s latest deal, but Dallas’ waiting to get the deal done continues to look worse as more quarterbacks sign more team-friendly deals.
The rest of the 2022 quarterback class
If not for Purdy, the 2022 class of quarterbacks would be one of the worst in recent memory. Eight quarterbacks were drafted before Purdy at No. 262 overall. The first three — Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis — failed to win or hold the starting jobs for their original teams and have since been traded.
The other five have combined for 7,083 passing yards, 35 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. All are worse than Purdy’s totals so far (9,518 passing yards, 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions). He was the last quarterback drafted and is the last one carrying the torch as a starter.