49ers' Kyle Shanahan sends message to Brock Purdy after contract extension

As had been expected, the San Francisco 49ers made a significant financial commitment to quarterback Brock Purdy when they signed him to a five-year, $265M contract extension that included $181M in guaranteed money and a no-trade clause earlier this month. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, head coach Kyle Shanahan explained what he expects from Purdy now that the 25-year-old is being paid like a top-tier signal-caller. 

"I want him to be the leader he's always been," Shanahan said about Purdy, as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "There's no worse thing to do than ask people to do something extra just because of their contract. That's when you start making stuff up. Brock's earned his contract, and he's going to earn what he gets going forward."

The final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy has been the undisputed leader of San Francisco's offense since he recovered from the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that he suffered in January 2023 in time to start the regular-season opener in September of that year. He later became a Most Valuable Player Award finalist for that campaign, and he then took the 49ers to within a play of winning Super Bowl LVIII.

During a recent chat with Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area, Purdy insisted that he is "going to continue to have the same mindset of getting ready and putting [his] team in the best position to win games and executing" now that he knows, for sure, he'll be San Francisco's starter beyond the upcoming season. 

Shanahan sounds confident Purdy will continue to be all the 49ers need him to be both behind the scenes and on gamedays. 

"He's been the same since day one and I think that's, you like to say that about a lot of people and we're never lying up here or anything, but Brock is as much like that as not just any football player I've met, but any person I've met," Shanahan added about his QB1. 

Debates about whether or not the 49ers overpaid Purdy will inevitably continue through the summer months as he and others in the locker room reflect on all that went wrong for what became a 6-11 team last season. If Purdy reclaims his form from two campaigns ago, he'll be a bargain for the 49ers for years to come.