Salary-cap specialist predicts how much 49ers' Brock Purdy will earn via contract extension

While the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy reportedly are "not close" to signing a contract extension as of the first Friday of May, the two parties allegedly "have a vested interest in getting [an agreement] done before" training camp begins. 

3 Strand Sports executive vice president of client compensation J.I. Halsell previously served as a salary cap specialist for the NFL Management Council and for the Washington Commanders. He recently spoke with Fox Sports' Eric Williams about how much money Purdy could receive via a deal most expect will get done before the 2025 season gets underway. 

"Without trying to project what the guarantee is going to be, I think just at an average per year metric standpoint, $55M per year makes a ton of sense," Halsell explained. "Now, someone is going to be like, '$55M per year, that’s more than Patrick Mahomes got.' OK, but the salary cap has increased exponentially since the Patrick Mahomes deal got done, right? It’s increased even since Dak Prescott’s deal last September."

Back in April, 49ers CEO Jed York said that he viewed Purdy as a top-10 player at the sport's most important position. Assuming York's comment offered a hint regarding what he's willing to pay Purdy, the Spotrac website shows that the 25-year-old should have at least $51M per season attached to his extension.

Purdy is a one-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Award finalist who was a play away from becoming a Super Bowl champion in February 2024. As Halsell pointed out, however, the perception that Purdy is a product of the pieces put around him could support "the argument that maybe Brock should not be paid at the top of the market." 

Nevertheless, the 49ers have given no indication they will let Purdy play on the final year of his inexpensive rookie deal.

"'We’re not going to pay you top of market like a Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow. But we still need to pay you a contract commensurate of a starting quarterback,'" Halsell added about possible conversations involving the 49ers and Purdy. 

Until Purdy puts pen to paper on a contract, some will continue to wonder if the 49ers truly want to pay him like a top-tier starting quarterback. This situation could be interesting to follow if Purdy still hasn't signed an extension when Niners players go on their summer break in June.