The news of quarterback Brock Purdy's extension came suddenly on Friday afternoon, with all the major news outlets coming out to announce the news of the San Francisco 49ers quarterback's new massive contract.
Early extensions for Purdy and tight end George Kittle are pretty uncharacteristic for the Niners, who have made a habit of leaving these massive deals until late, including the new contracts for defensive end Nick Bosa, which went well into training camp, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk last season.
But now, the 49ers have worked out two major extensions for two of their stars inside of a few weeks, which will have many fans of the team considering what other moves the team could make before training camp starts in July.
There are several potentials on the roster, including these three, in no particular order.
No.1: EDGE Nick Bosa
Speaking of Bosa, the extension he signed back in September of 2023 starts to kick into crazy cap-hit numbers after the 2025 season.
After this year, according to Over The Cap, Bosa's cap hits jump from just over $20 million this year to $42 million in 2026, $52 million in 2027, and another $42 million in 2028 when the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be 31.
Those numbers are big, but they are also an expected 14.2 percent and 16.7 percent of the projected cap in those seasons, both fairly sizable chunks for one team to take on.
There might be trepidation about approaching Bosa about another extension just two seasons after the difficulty that was his last deal, so maybe this is one that can wait until next season, but it should at least be on the 49ers' radar to start the conversation.
No.2: LB Fred Warner
If the Niners are going to try to hit on a third extension in one offseason, it makes sense to approach the player whose deal is currently carrying the largest cap hit on the team heading into the 2025 season. Linebacker Fred Warner's deal counts for $29.1 million against the cap for this year.
Warner's contract is also the next up in terms of nearing unrestricted free agency, as he's got just two years left on the extension he inked in 2021, with a void year in 2027 that counts for just over $9 million against the cap and a zero cap-hit void year in 2028.
The linebacker showed up for voluntary minicamps and noted that he had no plans to hold out of training camp if a deal wasn't done.
Warner is the best linebacker in the game, so the 49ers should reward him and also get his cap hit down for 2025 and 2026.
No.3: WR Jauan Jennings
Jennings, a former seventh-round draft pick out of Tennessee, has done more than anyone could have expected from a guy of his draft stock and is coming off a career year in 2024, where he caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns.
The wideout was more than adequate in filling in for Aiyuk as the 49ers' No. 1 receiver, with massive games against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 (11 catches for 175 and three touchdowns), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10 (seven catches for 93 yards), and versus the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 (10 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown) paving the way for his massive season.
Jennings signed a relatively small extension heading into 2024 when he was due to be a restricted free agent, and he and the team were able to work out a two-year deal rather than the one-year deal of the restricted tag.
This time around, Jennings might be more willing to bet on himself rather than take another below-market, team-friendly deal, and bank on another big season that will earn him a massive payday next offseason.
But the 49ers should still approach him and see what he'd be interested in.
They'll get some relief on now-Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel's detail next year, so the Niners could work out something where it's a longer deal for Jennings, especially one that allows the $8.2 million void year to be money the 49ers are paying to a player on their team rather than a guy playing for someone else.
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