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Did the San Francisco 49ers make a mistake in signing Brock Purdy to a massive five-year, $265 million contract extension, with $181 million guaranteed?
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That’s the question Frank Schwab and Charles Robinson debated on the latest edition of the “Inside Coverage” podcast.
Frank’s verdict: Yes, the 49ers made a mistake
Schwab criticized the extension. He acknowledges that Purdy has earned his contract and that it’s a feel-good sports story. However, he doesn’t believe the 49ers can win a Super Bowl with Purdy now making $53 million a year. He argues that the team’s previous Super Bowl window was due in large part to having a quarterback on a rookie contract — which allowed them to spend more on elite talent around Purdy.
“I don’t think they could put the pieces around him to replicate what they’ve done the past few years,” Schwab contends. “I think this is the one team that should have leveraged the rookie deal with quarterbacks because I think Kyle Shanahan could find the next Brock Purdy.”
Schwab is emphatic that head coach Kyle Shanahan “is the cheat code” who is capable of finding and developing another quarterback, and the 49ers lost a big advantage by moving Purdy to a top-tier contract.
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“They would have won a Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo had the defense done its job on a third-and-long against Patrick Mahomes,” Schwab argues.
He believes that paying Purdy, who he believes is a mid-tier quarterback, such big money is detrimental and that the team should always be looking for the next cheap rookie contract to build around.
Charles’ verdict: No, the 49ers did not make a mistake
Robinson disagrees. He points out that the contract does not reset the quarterback market and is actually the seventh-highest QB deal in the league, sitting alongside the likes of Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff.
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Robinson notes that there are limited alternatives — either teams extend the quarterbacks they know, or they gamble with total uncertainty and risk losing their window with the veterans on their roster. He argues that unless the 49ers want to completely reboot and tank, paying Purdy at his current rate is a reasonable and necessary move.
“If you can tell me what a better alternative was, because it wasn’t in the draft this year,” Robinson presses. “They’re not going to have a pick high enough, really, to get an elite player next year.”
Robinson emphasizes that it’s the kind of deal you sign if you have a good, but not necessarily elite, quarterback.
From Robinson’s perspective, the 49ers made a practical decision consistent with the market for quarterbacks of Purdy’s caliber and their current situation as a contending team. He stresses that unless there is a clear, better alternative, extending Purdy at this value was the only realistic path.
To hear more NFL discussions, tune into Inside Coverage on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
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