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Jon Gruden Has Blunt Message for 49ers Amid Brock Purdy Contract Rumors

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Tim Ryan | Last updated Feb 7, 2025 1:24 PM ET

Quarterback Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers head into the NFL offseason with what appears to be the same goal in mind, with plans on getting a major contract extension done as he gets set for his fourth season with the team.

With the 25-year-old QB having led the 49ers to an NFC championship game appearance along with a thrilling showdown in Super Bowl LVIII that took Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to overtime, all signs would seemingly point to a deal getting done.

With plenty of opinions on the topic making the rounds, longtime NFL head coach and Super Bowl champion Jon Gruden made his feelings on the matter abundantly clear.

After being asked about his opinion of Purdy, a grinning Gruden wasted no time in dialing up the volume:

"Well they should build a statue of him in San Francisco," he said. "He [Purdy] covered their [expletive], man. They [the 49ers] gave up three first round draft choices to get a guy [Trey Lance] that they got rid of.

"This guy's the last pick in the draft, he's taken you to the Super Bowl, he's taken them to the brink," Gruden continued. "He deserves to get paid and I'll just leave it at that."

Proposing a statue to be built following a player's third season in the NFL would definitely be a first, but it's also a very Gruden-like thing to say in an effort to get his strong opinion across.

And his point was a pretty fair assessment.

Had the 49ers not nabbed Purdy with the last pick of the 2022 NFL draft, it wouldn't be wild to think head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch—who came into the organization together in 2017—could be in completely different spots if not for that fateful final pick of "Mr. Irrelevant."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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