All signs point toward the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy working out a long-term contract extension this offseason.
There’s always a chance something doesn’t get done, but based on how 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke about Purdy during their end-of-season press conference it sounds like both are ready to do what it takes to ensure Purdy becomes a foundational building block of their offense moving forward.
Much of the discussion around Purdy’s deal has centered on how much he’ll be paid. Some believe he’ll reset the market with a contract in the range of $61 million in average annual value. Others think it’ll fall in the $50-55 million range.
While the structure of the deal will matter more than the average annual value, the discussion should be centered more on the timing for the 49ers.
They can’t afford to let another big-money contract negotiation bleed into training camp. Purdy told reporters on locker cleanout day that he wanted the negotiations to be drama-free. He also wouldn’t commit to reporting to mandatory offseason activities without a deal.
Given how contract negotiations for defensive end Nick Bosa, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams went the last two offseasons, the 49ers would be wise to ensure they’re paying their franchise quarterback and doing so quickly.
Having a deal with Purdy done by the time free agency opens in mid-March, or at least by the time the team reports to OTAs in mid-April, would set a strong tone for the rest of their offseason and training camp. If they use training camp as a soft deadline again where Purdy is missing OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and potentially parts of training camp, they run the risk of derailing another season before it can get off the ground.
Purdy still needs reps, especially with wide receivers like Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing. He may also be working to get his chemistry with Aiyuk back depending on when the wide receiver returns from his knee injury. The team also just needs its quarterback and team leader in the building.
There are times to pinch pennies. There are times to quibble over certain bits of contract language. This isn’t one of them. San Francisco shouldn’t let themselves just get steamrolled in the negotiations, but they should also have a much deeper urgency and be ready to make some key concessions to get a deal done.
Not getting a contract done and potentially missing their quarterback for the start of training camp pales in comparison to the damage any typical contract hang-ups might cause. Signing Purdy for a less-favorable contract in March will help far more than signing him to a more-favorable contract in August.