The San Francisco 49ers are at an organizational crossroads.

Six wins last season was an unacceptable outcome. Excuses be damned, the 49ers were supposed to avenge a loss in the Super Bowl. San Francisco began the campaign as favorites in the NFC and ended as a team tanking for a top pick. That does not align with the expectations for a Kyle Shanahan team with so much money wrapped up in star-power.

There are, of course, excuses — primarily injuries, which ravaged San Francisco from the jump. Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey both missed the majority of the season. The 49ers’ defense, a year removed from elite status, was hardly passable. Brock Purdy, without his usual assortment of weapons, looked far less certain in the pocket.

That is what leads us to the aforementioned crossroads. Part of what made San Francisco such an intriguing Super Bowl bet was its ability to splurge on playmakers and top-shelf defenders in free agency because of Purdy’s bargain contract. The former last overall pick is slated to make $3.7 million across four years, an all-time underpay.

Now Purdy is entering the final year of that contract, however, and he’s due for a big-money extension. With QB contracts ballooning leaguewide, there’s a belief that Purdy could command $60 million annually. Woof.

The looming specter of the Purdy overpay has led to more than few wild theories and desperate pleas. Some have even pointed to Aaron Rodgers as a potential solution to San Francisco’s predicament.

On the surface, it’s not difficult to understand the logic behind the Rodgers theory. Kyle Shanahan is a QB wizard with a deep respect for what Rodgers brings to the table. Last season was a bust for the New York Jets, but Rodgers was still productive individually. His football IQ is unmatched, and his quick processing speeds would be fully weaponized in a Shanahan offense, surrounded by some of the most electric playmakers in football.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, it’s just not realistic. For starters, Jed York has already said the Niners plan to build the future around Purdy. Franchise quarterbacks don’t come around too often and it’s hard to find sustainable, dependable options under center. Purdy turned it over a few too many times last season, but he was a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2023. When he has a full battalion at his disposal, the 25-year-old can still put up numbers.

The Niners aren’t going to replace him with a 41-year-old on his last legs, no matter how cheap Rodgers comes. If you won’t take it from me, take it from Rich Eisen.

Not only does Eisen scoff at the whole Rodgers argument, which is rooted in the fallacy of dubbing the 2023 NFC champ a “system quarterback” and undoing years of progress. He doesn’t necessarily believe that Purdy will even hold out for that vaunted $60 million price tag. Rather, Eisen believes there’s a decent chance Purdy will accept a lesser number in order to help the Niners keep a solid O-line in front of him and decent wideouts around him.

This is a consequential offseason all around for the Niners, who need to put up or shut up. Deebo Samuel has asked for a trade, Aiyuk and McCaffrey are coming off of severe injuries, and Purdy is fresh out of his worst campaign in a brief three-year career. Rather than burning it all down for a cooked Rodgers in what is perhaps his final NFL season, however, the Niners are bound to err on the side of caution and rock with what got them to the Super Bowl not that long ago. It’s as simple as that.

What comes after Rodgers? Nobody knows, and that is where the problem lies. Paying Purdy an ungodly sum is understandably off-putting, but it’s the only logical path forward for the Niners.