For three years, Brock Purdy essentially was immune to criticism.
That doesn’t mean he was perfect — no one is. But when he made a mistake, it was hard to blame him because he was playing for the NFL’s version of minimum wage — $900,000 per year before taxes. That’s not a ton of money in the Bay Area. He had a roommate for two years.
Now, Purdy is the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL in terms of the annual average value of his contract. And that’s why ESPN says Purdy is under more pressure than ever.
“It was an offseason of change in San Francisco, where the 49ers said goodbye to receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and a couple of key defensive stars,” writes ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “The Niners are carrying more than $92 million in dead money on their cap this season for players no longer on the roster, as they decided to use 2025 to reset their spending while granting a five-year, $265 million contract to Purdy.
“The whole plan indicates that they’ll be asking even more of Purdy, who has been more than they ever could have expected when they took him with the last pick of the 2022 draft. This roster still has Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, so it’s not like it’s all on Purdy’s shoulders. But this offseason of change is a sign of things to come. Those guys won’t all be around forever, and the pivot into the future will depend on Purdy’s ability to continue to deliver as a high-level franchise QB — even as the players around him shift and change.”
Graziano is correct that Kyle Shanahan and the coaching staff probably will ask more from Purdy this season than they have in the past. But I think the pressure is on Shanahan, not Purdy. Because if the offense struggles this season and the 49ers miss the playoffs, they won’t get rid of Purdy. They just extended him following a six-win season. And they didn’t extend Shanahan.
Now, Shanahan has to show that he’s the right head coach for Purdy and this team going forward. If not, they always could pivot to Robert Saleh.
