Insider highlights why Brock Purdy shouldn't be worried about Mac Jones signing

San Francisco 49ers reporter Matt Barrows of The Athletic raised some eyebrows when he wrote for a mailbag published on Wednesday that the 49ers' recent signing of quarterback Mac Jones to a two-year contract gave the club "a bit more leverage" regarding negotiations with current San Francisco starter Brock Purdy.

Later in the day, The Athletic's Jacob Robinson shared why it's still likely the 49ers will work out a contract extension with Purdy before the 2025 NFL season gets underway in September. 

"Since Brock Purdy was drafted in 2022, 64 quarterbacks have thrown 200-plus passes each," Robinson explained. Among those players, Purdy is ranked first in expected points added per drop-back, first in yards per attempt, second in passer rating, fourth in playoff games and seventh in wins. 

"The 49ers’ winning percentage drops from 64.3 to 53.3 without Purdy," Robinson continued. "He missed two games in 2024, and they lost both by a combined margin of 51 points."

Many have believed for years that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to take Jones over eventual San Francisco flop Trey Lance with the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. While Jones went on to earn a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie with the New England Patriots, he hasn't had what could be considered a good season since. He most recently made seven starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars this past campaign. 

As for Purdy, the 2023 regular-season MVP finalist has helped the 49ers play in back-to-back conference title games and was a play away from becoming a Super Bowl champion in February 2024. It's difficult to imagine any team would take Jones over Purdy this offseason. 

Purdy is in the final year of his inexpensive rookie contract, but there's still plenty of time for the two sides to come to an agreement. The 49ers' salary-cap-clearing activities of the offseason suggest the club is preparing to pay Purdy sooner rather than later, but chatter about Shanahan possibly viewing Jones as an eventual replacement for Purdy likely won't quiet down until the final pick of the 2022 draft signs an extension.