How Prescott's contract impacts 49ers QB Purdy's impending deal

Brock Purdy still has to play a lot of football before the 49ers can reward him with a new contract.

But do not expect that process to be as drawn out as the negotiations that lasted through training camp with 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams.

When the 49ers show up for their first day of the 2025 offseason program, they need the situation to be resolved. They need their quarterback in the building.

And, now, the situation would appear to line up for that to happen.

The last big domino fell on Sunday morning when the Dallas Cowboys locked up quarterback Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract extension. Prescott now is the highest-paid player in the NFL with a $60 million-per-year average over the course of his extension.

In NFL circles, it was expected that Prescott and the Cowboys would let this season play out. Then, Prescott would get a big deal — $65 million per year, perhaps — with the Cowboys or some other team.

Only after Prescott got his deal completed were the 49ers and Purdy expected to agree on a multi-year contract extension for some price below what Prescott was to receive.

Now, things seem as if they could fall into place for Purdy and the 49ers early in the offseason. Nothing is holding them back -- except the calendar.

NFL players are not allowed to renegotiate their contracts until after their third season. This is Purdy’s third year in the NFL, and this is the key season in determining where he fits on the league’s pay scale.

Purdy’s original contract, as the final overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was a four-year deal worth a total of $3.7 million.

Purdy, who finished fourth in the NFL MVP voting last season, currently is the 41st highest-paid player on the 49ers.

He will become, far and away, the highest-paid player on the team a year from now. But, first, he must maintain his quality of play at a level the 49ers have come to expect from him in 27 career starts (21 in the regular season, six in the postseason).

Purdy could benefit from the timing of a new contract, which would come with a rising salary cap and the precedent of many of the other top quarterbacks already getting paid.

Behind Prescott are Green Bay’s Jordan Love, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow at $55 million per season.

Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, Detroit’s Jared Goff, the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts also are members of the $50-million club.

This will be the final season the 49ers’ starting quarterback is playing on a minimum deal, but it does not mean the team’s roster must go under a major rehab.

The 2024 season does not have to be the team's last chance at a championship. Not even close.

The big money on Purdy’s contract will not leave much of a mark on the team’s salary cap in 2025 or 2026 — and, perhaps, maybe not in 2027, either.

Of course, the 49ers will have to make some decisions down the road as far as which players on their current roster they choose to re-sign or which free agents they can acquire. But the 49ers have not been huge spenders in free agency, anyway.

The advantages of making a huge financial commitment to a quarterback far outweigh the downside of devoting a lot of cap space to a player at that position.

After all, if Purdy again shows he is worthy of a big-time contract, the 49ers’ organization will be in great shape for many seasons.

After all, Purdy is 24 years old and has a lot of good football ahead of him. And any team with a franchise quarterback always is a serious contender.

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