Getty 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy
The 49ers have certainly, in the time that general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have been together, shown a willingness to buck conventional NFL wisdom. It’s been critical to their ability to construct a consistent contender despite missing on some notable draft picks and seeing their team suffer some critical injuries in recent seasons. Getting lucky on Brock Purdy has helped.
But would they truly be willing to forge a completely different path in what has become and NFL almost defined by skyrocketing quarterback salaries? Would they be willing to be the first team in the league to have a high-quality, Pro Bowl, MVP-candidate young quarterback at the end of his rookie deal, look at the market rate and simply say, “We’re not going to pay that.”
That was the source of speculation on the part of one of the foremost contract experts in sports, Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac. Speaking on accurately titled, “The Spotrac Podcast,” Ginnitti cautioned that we should not assume that the 49ers will shell out for Purdy when he is eligible for a new contract next year.
Be still our beating hearts: Might the 49ers be willing to take a stand on the march to $100 million-per-year quarterback salaries?
NFL Quarterback Salaries Out of Control
That’s what Ginnitti suggests, and he is certainly right that if anyone is going to halt the absurdity of quarterback paychecks, it’s the 49ers.
“I don’t think it’s a slam-dunk that Brock Purdy is one of the players that they’re definitely going to pay,” Ginnitti said. “I don’t know why we would think that right now. It’s been a plug-and-play offense for so long. Why would they think they couldn’t just start over and do this again with somebody else?”
Or else lose him for nothing? Well, not necessarily: “Or he’s a hell of a trade candidate.”
Indeed, the price of capable starting quarterbacks is getting untenable in the league, with each new starter who signs a new deal seemingly becoming the highest-paid in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence, who graded out as the No. 15 quarterback by Pro Football Focus for last season, is tied with Joe Burrow as the highest-paid quarterback in the league, with an average salary of $55 million.
There are 16 quarterbacks making more than $37.5 million, which means half of the league is paying its quarterback 15% of its salary cap allotment. On a 53-man roster.
With Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa expected to join that list, and with Dak Prescott expected to push the highest per-year salary to $60 million or more, the situation clearly calls for a reset.
49ers Could Take a Stand on Brock Purdy
The 49ers could be the ones doing the resetting. Despite Purdy leading the league in quarterback rating (113.0) and finishing fourth in MVP balloting, and despite the impassioned defense of Purdy that Lynch and Shanahan have offered in the past, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers paying Purdy $50 or $60 million annually.
One of the major benefits of Purdy as the starter has been the fact that he is making just $985,000 here in the final year of his rookie contract. If the 49ers have to pay him like every other quarterback, perhaps Purdy loses some of his appeal.
The 49ers brass could be willing to test the idea that the 49ers system is truly plug-and-play. They could be willing to trade away Purdy and either draft a new quarterback or hand the reins over to backup Joshua Dobbs or another NFL free agent.
Now, team owner Jed York said during the owners meetings that he expected to hand out a big contract to Purdy.
“To me, the quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but all of sports, and those guys should be paid a lot of money,” York said, via the Mercury News.
But maybe Lynch and Shanahan see things differently.