Fans are eager to see the San Francisco 49ers sign their young franchise quarterback, Brock Purdy, to a contract extension early to avoid any offseason drama. In recent years, the team has faced challenges in quickly finalizing deals with its big-name stars, leading to unwanted distractions.
One fan hoping for swift action is former player Terrell Owens, who joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Tuesday to discuss, among other topics, Purdy's contract situation.
That's the biggest debate heading into this crucial offseason. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the NFL's highest-paid player, with an annual average of $60 million. While Owens didn't go as far as saying Purdy should exceed that figure, he made one thing very clear.
"I would take Brock Purdy over Dak Prescott any day, number one," Owens declared. "And I think, if you look at his production, and how he's played, a guy that has gone from the last pick of the draft, 'Mr. Irrelevant' to relevant ... I think when you have a guy like that—I think you've heard guys like Cam Newton, who's a media head right now, talk about game managers and game changers—he's one of those guys if you surround him with the right talent, he can be an elite quarterback."
Purdy played like an elite quarterback in 2023 when surrounded by healthy playmakers. He set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards in a single season, leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance.
This past season, however, was a different story. Injuries plagued the roster, and Purdy's performance dipped. The 49ers finished with a 6-11 record, missing the playoffs. Some viewed this as evidence that the quarterback can't carry the team amid adversity, arguing he doesn't warrant top-tier pay.
Could Purdy hold out if the 49ers offer him a lowball deal? Or might the team push him to play out the final year of his rookie contract, opting for one more season of evaluation before committing a significant portion of their salary cap to one player?
"That's up for management to decide whether they want to roll the dice and go into a season where it's, obviously, contract situation looming over his head," Owens said. "You saw what happened with [WR] Brandon Aiyuk this past year. You don't want anything like that to happen.
"And obviously, going into a season, you've got to have somebody like that. You want to solidify; you want to secure those guys because he's the quarterback of your team. And so, I don't think Brock Purdy is the type of guy to hold out, per se, but like I said, anything can happen."
Owens believes that if the 49ers are genuinely committed to Purdy, as they have repeatedly claimed, they will move quickly to finalize a deal and avoid the prolonged drama that has plagued recent offseasons.
He also points out that if the 49ers had signed Aiyuk earlier last offseason, the wide receiver might have received the reps needed for a stronger start, potentially even avoiding his season-ending injury.
"Hopefully, they can get Brock Purdy sewn up," Owens concluded. "That way, my son (49ers WR Terique Owens) can get some reps and get some of those Brock Purdy balls thrown to him so I can be up there, in Levi's Stadium next year, watching my son catch some passes and score some touchdowns."
You can listen to Owens' entire interview below.
Listen: Click here to listen on Omny.fm
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The ongoing saga with the NFL Players Association has taken another turn, as the organization is also reportedly the subject of a federal investigation. ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler reported on Friday that there is an ongoing criminal investigation involving the NFLPA regarding potential misuse of funds and self-enrichment of union officials. A senior union attorney sent a memo to NFLPA officials this week informing them of the federal probe. The document states that the NFLPA is "now on notice of financial actions that may be criminal" and that the union faces "immediate threats requiring prompt actions," according to ESPN. While the document did not specify which individuals are part of the criminal investigation, the notice was sent days after executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and director of strategy J.C. Tretter resigned from their positions with the NFLPA. Howell was accused of misusing union funds and faced other troubling allegations. Tretter resigned because he felt like he was left to take the heat for the scandal that has been unfolding, though he has denied any wrongdoing. The NFLPA is searching for an interim executive director. ESPN reports that the memo sent to union officials this week warns that potentially hiring an outside executive director might not be a wise move without knowing exactly how deep "the problems may be." Howell was the executive director of the NFLPA for two years.
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler continued to pile up major victories with his win at The Open Championship on Sunday, but the World No. 1 golfer says he would give up one of his most coveted trophies if it helped his favorite NFL team win a Super Bowl. Scheffler was born in New Jersey, but his family moved to Dallas, Texas, when he was 6 years old. He went to college at the University of Texas and still lives in Dallas with his wife, Meredith, and 1-year-old son Bennett. As you might expect, Scheffler is a huge Cowboys fan. During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Pardon My Take" podcast, Scheffler discussed how badly he wants the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl. Scheffler said he would "for sure" trade one of his major championships for his favorite NFL team to win a title. Scheffler's win at Royal Portrush was his fourth in a major. The 29-year-old has now joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to win The Open Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship before turning 30. Scheffler has been ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world for more than two years now. He has looked virtually unstoppable throughout much of that span. He only needs to win the U.S. Open to complete the career grand slam, and it would be downright shocking if he did not accomplish that at some point. The Cowboys last won a Super Bowl in January of 1996. Scheffler was born in June of that year, so Dallas has not won a championship in his lifetime. Though he knows he is going to have plenty of majors before his golf career is over, it says a lot that Scheffler would be willing to trade one of his trophies just to watch Dallas return to the top of the NFL.