ESPN’s Adam Schefter also pointed out that Brock Purdy’s initial asking price was $65 million.
There were hints that the San Francisco 49ers and Brock Purdy were nearing an extension. We’d hear reports about both sides being in a good place and how it should be viewed as a positive that Purdy showed up to the offseason program. Sure enough, the 49ers inked Purdy for the largest contract in team history, and he is now one of the NFL’s highest-paid players.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was on UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio, where he shared details about some information about the 49ers and Purdy’s negotiations. According to Schefter, Purdy’s camp initially asked for $65 million:
“Yes, that was the initial asking price, 65 [million]. But you know what? Everybody’s initial asking price should be high. That’s how it should be, and his was. I don’t know that he thought he was going to get that, but you might as well start high. Nothing abnormal or unusual about that at all.
And they came in where they did, where now, his total earnings in his first three seasons, he earned a combined $2.6 million. Now, he will make $2.9 million per week. So he’ll make more in one week this year than he did in his first three seasons.”
Talk about leveling up. In Purdy’s camp’s case, that’s how negotiations have worked for as long as I’ve been alive and likely long before I was born. If your intention was to get north of $50 million, you’d never get that amount if you lead with that number.
However, I would love to have seen the 49ers’ front office’s face when they heard $65 million. I bet they thought this would be a long, drawn-out process. Thankfully, it was anything but.
Schefter continued, almost making it seem like the 49ers were competing against themselves since nobody else was interested in acquiring Purdy:
“I remember talking to teams and just being like, ‘Hey,’ as they were trying to solve their quarterback needs, ‘any interest in Brock Purdy?’ And they were like, ‘Great player, but he’s a great player for them.’ So they didn’t see it that way. So that was the opinion of other teams.”
Depending on the timing, it would have made zero sense for the 49ers to trade Purdy post-draft. Then they’d be stuck with…Mac Jones and future draft capital? That does the team no good in 2025.
Still, it’s understandable why teams would be leery of Purdy outside of Kyle Shanahan’s system. That’s not to discredit what Brock’s done with the Niners, but we’ve seen Shanahan’s offense prop up multiple players at seemingly every position, only for them to regress the second they leave.