While the 49ers have kept busy through the first two days of NFL free agency, their biggest offseason storyline has been put on pause -- for now.
Star quarterback Brock Purdy is due for a massive pay raise, and San Francisco is weighing its options on his contract extension. While the conversation surrounding the deal often has been "how much" the 49ers will pay the 25-year-old, the question now appears to have shifted to when they will pay him.
"I don't get the sense that it's imminent, imminent. But it's always coming," NFL Media's Ian Rapoport said Tuesday morning on ESPN's "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."
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Rapoport continued to discuss what other star quarterbacks around the league have been paid recently, including Dak Prescott's $60 million-per-year contract, and that of Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love, who all earn an average of $55 million per year.
That realm of quarterback contracts paints the picture for Purdy's potential new deal with San Francisco, per Rapoport.
"My sense is that's probably the target," Rapoport said. "Is it going to be higher or lower? I don't know. Unless they get to a point where they're right up against the season, like with Brandon Aiyuk last year, that was a big contract, but generally, they've been pretty conservative with these contracts.
"I'm going to be fascinated to see where this goes. But in that range right there is where you're looking. I just don't know where it actually fits in."
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Purdy is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to make $5.28 million in 2025 after accruing just over $2.88 million through his first three seasons since being selected as the final pick (No. 262) of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Since taking over as the starter, Purdy boasts a 23-13 regular-season record and is 4-2 in the playoffs.
If the 49ers do get a deal done with their star quarterback this offseason, they'd likely want to do so sooner than later to avoid yet another offseason of dragged-out contract drama.
But for now, their focus appears to be on cost-cutting moves, which seems evident after parting ways with several starters, such as Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga.