Brock Purdy has made it clear when asked this offseason that his focus is a long way from next year's contract talks over the San Francisco 49ers.
But the 49ers' starting quarterback will have more leverage in those negotiations after the quarterback he overcame in the NFC Championship Game last season received a massive payday.
The Detroit Lions and quarterback Jared Goff on Monday agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract with $170 million guaranteed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Goff's deal carries an average annual value of $53 million, the second-highest in the entire NFL behind Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ($55 million), and it gives Purdy's representatives a baseline ahead of their negotiations with the 49ers in 2025.
It will, of course, require another impressive season from Purdy for him to be able to command a deal in the same ballpark. Though he finished fourth in the MVP voting and broke the 49ers' single-season passing yardage record in a 2023 campaign that ended with them falling agonizingly short of Super Bowl glory, the fact remains Purdy has only 21 regular-season games under his belt.
By contrast, Goff's 2023 season was his second successive full season of stellar play in which he was among the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL, the 2016 first overall pick throwing for over 9,000 yards and 59 touchdowns across those campaigns.
But there has been little to suggest Purdy, who put together his historic year on the back of elbow surgery, will not continue to go from strength to strength in 2024 after having the benefit of a full offseason.
As such, the 49ers will likely have to commit to a deal with an AAV at least in the same region as that of Goff. With more quarterback contracts on the horizon this offseason, that baseline is likely to rise, meaning Purdy could well surpass Goff assuming his star continues to rise.
The 49ers, as owner Jed York articulated at the annual league meetings, are prepared for Purdy to ask for an unprecedented deal. Goff's payday serves to underscore just how large that contract is likely to be.
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