Lost in those numbers is where Purdy made concessions to help the 49ers build for their future. He isn’t the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, ranking below six other signal-callers in average annual value. As Purdy saw it, there was more value in preserving the 49ers’ ability to surround him with talent than in trying “to take every penny for myself.”
“I think where we ended up was exactly where we needed to be,” Purdy said of negotiations with San Francisco. “I’m extremely happy with where we ended and I know the Niners are, too. With that being said, for me it’s all about football now. However they use the cap space and all that kind of stuff, that’s not my job. My job is to now go and win games and lead this team.”
Winning is far from guaranteed in this league, a lesson Purdy learned in 2024. As injuries ravaged those around him, Purdy found the going to be increasingly difficult as the 49ers limped to a 6-11 finish. Plenty of roster turnover has followed, a necessary outcome for a team that needed to retool less than two years after reaching the Super Bowl.
Purdy’s negotiation might have provided a breath of fresh air to the 49ers amid a transitional offseason. Instead of worrying about whether they’ll keep a top target like they did with Brandon Aiyuk in the summer of 2024, Purdy and the 49ers got his deal done with time to spare.
That alone should benefit them as they turn their focus toward preparing for the 2025 season.
“I feel like every year there sort of has been someone that was like, man, you’d like to get them done, and it’s gone on pretty late,” Purdy said. “Whether that has affected the locker room or not, not really sure, I don’t want to just pinpoint something. But this year, having the guys done and being able to get back to work and be around the guys in the locker room and build our culture and standard really from the ground up with all the new guys we have, it’s been pretty cool. Everybody’s bought in right now, and we’re excited obviously to do more team activities as we move along the offseason.
“It’s hard to explain, but the young guys, the older guys, everybody is bringing it right now. I think it’s just so important that we’re around each other a lot doing little different activities and continuing to build chemistry, like that’s the kind of stuff that matters when you get late in the season and things get tough and you go through some tough things as a team. You want to be able to know the guy next to you and what he’s about and that he’s going to have your back. Having the contract stuff done, it’s been a huge blessing for the whole team and organization.”
With the ink drying on his contract and tens of millions headed toward his bank account, Purdy has accomplished two significant goals in his once-unlikely NFL career. There’s no need to explain what stands atop that list going forward. Now, he can set his sights on achieving it.