This week at the NFL Annual League meeting, 49ers owner Jed York said that he's fully prepared to make Brock Purdy the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Unfortunately for Purdy, that could mean $35 million per season. Because that's $1 million more per season than Nick Bosa gets paid, and Bosa currently is the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Purdy probably thinks he's worth closer to $55 million per season considering that's how much the Jaguars pay Trevor Lawrence, and Purdy has had much more success in the NFL than him. But if Purdy and Lawrence were free agents right now, every team including the 49ers would rather have Lawrence and he would get paid much more money than Purdy. That's just reality.
Lawrence was a No. 1 pick who has played for a terrible team. He still has tons of potential. Meanwhile, Purdy was the last pick and has played for an excellent team. And he's coming off a down year.
If Purdy were a free agent this offseason, I doubt he would get paid much more than Sam Darnold just got paid by the Seattle Seahawks. They gave him a three-year, $100 contract and Darnold gladly took it because he knows he's not elite.
If Purdy had been a free agent, would the Seahawks have signed him instead of Darnold? I doubt it. Because Darnold is a former first-round pick with premium tools and Purdy isn't. And Darnold knows how good he is and how much he's actually worth.
As opposed to Purdy, who seems to think he's elite. If he doesn't accept $35 million per season, he can play out his rookie contract in 2025 and then get franchise-tagged in 2026 and 2027 and get paid roughly $98 million for the next three seasons.
There's just no reason to offer Purdy much more than that.