The Pittsburgh Steelers have a desperate need for a starting quarterback. The San Francisco 49ers seem to have one they cannot afford to pay without giving up their entire roster. Can a marriage be made between the two former powerhouses?

Perhaps the Steelers could package a group of draft choices the 49ers would take and trade Purdy, who was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was the last player selected and is perhaps the most underrated QB in football today. Over 40 career games for San Francisco, he’s amassed 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns and threw only 27 interceptions.

The former Iowa State gunslinger was a Pro Bowl player in 2023 and finished fourth in MVP voting after throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. The 49ers fell to 6-11 last season as injuries hurt San Francisco. This offseason they are jettisoning salaries to try and find a way to extend Purdy, who is demanding to be paid like the best in the game. After all, he did lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl and was paid pennies on the dollar.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported last week that the 49ers are saying they are ready to enter into such an agreement, when the time comes. The time has come and they have not tendered the offer as of yet. “I don’t get the sense that it’s imminent, imminent. But it’s always coming,” Rapoport said on “The Pat McAfee Show”. “So teams do budgeting on out, they know it’s coming and they do have to account for it. What the number is going to be is interesting.”

ESPN NFL analyst Jason McCourty thinks the Steelers need to try and make a deal. You don’t get a smack for asking. “Now if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ve already traded for DK Metcalf, and gave him a big contract,” McCourty said on “Get Up”. “You need to have somebody to throw the ball to them. If you’re the Steelers, why not think about calling up the 49ers and John Lynch and saying ‘I don’t know where you guys are at right now. give us a shot at Brock Purdy.’ We’ll let him be able to distribute to all the weapons we have here in Pittsburgh.”

Two questions: Is Purdy better than Aaron Rodgers? And is Pittsburgh prepared to pay $60 million for QB?