The San Francisco 49ers have been adamant in their commitment to quarterback Brock Purdy. With a contract extension brewing, Purdy’s future continues to be questioned by seemingly everyone other than the folks inside the building.
The 49ers and Purdy have indicated they want a deal done quickly. In his end-of-year press conference, John Lynch stated he wants Purdy in San Francisco for a long, long time. Even head coach Kyle Shanahan linked his career to the future of Purdy’s success.
“Brock is the leader of our team. I’ve loved these three years with Brock. I plan on being with Brock the whole time I’m here,” said Shanahan. “Brock’s been a stud. He’s a guy I have a lot of confidence in as a human. It starts with what he’s done on the field the last two years. We’re capable of winning a Super Bowl with him. We just almost did. And I know he’s capable of getting the Niners a Super Bowl in the future.”
However, one of Shanahan’s closest friends, and current NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms, is staunchly against the idea of paying Purdy a significant amount of money.
Simms Reluctant to Pay Brock Purdy
On the latest episode of Pro Football Talk Live, Simms began by criticizing the team’s spending on stars such as Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Trent Williams, and Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers’ cap situation led Simms to draw a line in the sound on how much he is willing to pay Purdy.
“They’ve got some things to deal with there, and Brock Purdy being the biggest. And I don’t know where [negotiations] go. But I know when it comes to the Brock Purdy conversation, I would pay him nowhere near market money, nowhere near.”
Simms goes on to use Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s contract as a cautionary tale when paying quarterbacks.
“Tua is the perfect example. Nobody in football was going to give Tua $55 million [per year], nobody. The Miami Dolphins negotiated against themselves, and they put themselves in trouble. You can’t have the highest-paid guy on your football team be one of the biggest problems on your team in a big game. Let alone, he can’t stay available for a big game anyway on the field. Well, with the 49ers, Brock Purdy is a good quarterback. But I think a lot of quarterbacks could go into San Francisco and look pretty good. He’s what, a top 20ish quarterback in football?”
Of the current top five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, Purdy has more career playoff wins and a higher career winning percentage. Purdy is also one of only seven active starting quarterbacks to reach the Super Bowl.
How much is Purdy Worth?
With that kind of pedigree in just over two years, Simms still believes Purdy would not fetch market value as a free agent.
“To the point of where his contract is and what he’s made to this moment. I mean, if I’m the 49ers, I’m offering like $30 million [per year]. I’m offering $25 million. I’m going, ‘Go ahead, tell me who else out there is going to give you that money and make you the starting quarterback somewhere.’ Baker Mayfield’s making $30 million [per year]. You’re not even as close to as good as Baker Mayfield. Sorry. And that’s where I think the rubber has to meet the road.”
Simms ends his rant by pondering if the 49ers should be trendsetters and refuse to pay Purdy.
“At some point, one of these teams is going to have to go, ‘just because he’s our quarterback doesn’t mean we have to make him one of the five highest-paid guys in all of football. That’s insane. It’s ruining teams. There’s only a short list of guys that should be in that category. They better be careful, in my opinion, with the Brock Purdy contract and that whole situation.”
As the two sides enter into negotiations, Brock Purdy has expressed the desire to avoid any drama this offseason. Unfortunately, the longer contract talks linger, Purdy’s finances will continue to be a talking point.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Analyst Calls 49ers Insane for Wanting to Pay Brock Purdy appeared first on Heavy Sports.