The San Francisco 49ers are going all-in on Brock Purdy.
Selecting the Pro Bowl passer with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft was a masterstroke.
Fielding a starting quarterback on a four-year, $3.7million deal has allowed the Niners to pay up in other areas, including making Christian McCaffrey the highest-paid running back in football until Saquon Barkley’s recent extension.
But with Purdy eligible for an extension heading into his fourth season, the bill has finally come with San Francisco missing its Super Bowl window.
Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Charvarius Ward, Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw are among the players to leave via trade or release during free agency as the Niners scramble to free up cap space.
Kyle Juszczyk’s release saw an especially angry reaction with Claire Kittle — superstar tight end George’s wife — among those to take to social media before the full-back was re-signed.
The Niners have been accused of being ‘cheap’ after losing so many stars but owner Jed York defended the approach on Tuesday during the NFL’s annual meetings in Palm Beach, Florida.
“I’ve been called worse,” York told ESPN when the ‘cheap’ accusations were put to him. “I get it. Fans care. You want to win.
“And when you’re in a world where everybody is watching the NFL the first week of free agency or at least the first few days of free agency, it’s a frenzy.
“When you’re not overly active in that space, it gets easy to say, ‘Oh, you don’t want to win.’
“I don’t know that, as we looked at the board, that there was somebody that we felt made that type of an impact more so than making the decision to try to go pay Brock.”
Fans were worried about the franchise’s future when reacting to York’s comments.
“Purdy better be worth it,” wrote one on X.
“Same song, different QB, lol. Exact scenario with Jimmy [Garropolo]. They’re going to instantly regret,” posted a second.
“These are lies. Plenty of cap space. Only sacrifices are fans and Jed pocketing money,” added a third.
As talks continue, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the possibility of Purdy holding out if a deal cannot be struck the the time the 2025 season comes around.
“I know Brock doesn’t want to do that,” he insisted. “We don’t want to do that. I mean, no one wants to do that.
“But these are negotiations that go on between agents and our organization, and it’s over a lot of money and stuff.”
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York believes that a deal is close to being struck as Purdy seeks a deal that would place him somewhere inside the NFL’s best-paid QBs.
Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles passer Jalen Hurts is currently 10th on an annual package worth $51 million — Dak Prescott leads the way on $60 million per year.
“I think [contract talks have] been good,” York added. “It’s not conversations that I’m having.
“He’s got to make a decision with what he wants to do. I don’t think we’re that far apart.
“I think we can sit down and get something done. Whenever he’s ready, we’re ready.”
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