The 49ers’ offseason program starts in three weeks, and despite already having had three months to broker a contract extension for Brock Purdy, there remains no rush to pay the man.
General manager John Lynch reiterated he thinks a deal will get done, but he is “not too optimistic” it will come before those workouts begin, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reported Monday from Lynch’s media session at the NFL owners’ meetings in Florida.
The 49ers’ brass and Purdy keep saying they want to take their relationship to the next level, which would be a multi-year contract. He didn’t become eligible for that raise until completing the third season of his improbable rise from “Mr. Irrelevancy” as the 2022 NFL Draft’s final pick.
And yet there is no indication of an imminent deal, or even one this offseason.
Coach Kyle Shanahan is expected to speak to reporters Tuesday, and owner Jed York also might address reporters for the first time in an offseason overshadowed by cost-conscious roster changes.
As players cleaned out their lockers Jan. 6 – including over 20 for their final time as 49ers – Purdy insisted he wanted an expedited deal, not to make up for lost wages on his bargain-basement rookie contract but to start the bonding process for what now is a radically reconstructed roster.
“More than anything for me, I want to be able to handle business the right way and do it in a respectful manner, and get back to my team as fast as I can to get going to get better, to grow together,” Purdy said Jan. 6. “… I’m not the kind of guy that wants to have any kind of drama associated with anything.”
Recent extensions for homegrown stars haven’t been done before offseason workouts and instead contract stalemates dragged into at least last July for George Kittle (2021), Fred Warner (2022), Deebo Samuel (2022), Nick Bosa (2023), and Brandon Aiyuk (2024).
Chaos could commence in three weeks if the face of the franchise remains underpaid, though he still remains under contract for 2025 at a $5.3 million base salary.
AIYUK UPDATE
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, on the eve of a $23 million contract trigger, is expected to remain with the 49ers this season.
“We love Brandon Aiyuk as a football player. We did when we drafted him and we’re excited to move forward with him,” Lynch said, according to ESPN’s Wagoner.
Aiyuk is 4 1/2 months into his recovery from right-knee reconstruction that Lynch said is tracking well.
BRONCOS’ DOUBLE-DIP
With linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga both going to the Denver Broncos in free agency, that was “more coincidence” in filling positions of need rather than a concerted effort to strictly poach former 49ers stars, Denver’s Sean Payton said at the AFC coaches’ breakfast at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Fla. “If there is a common thread, those two guys are tone setters in how they play,” Payton told reporters in a video posted by the San Francisco Standard’s David Lombardi.
Payton said he was “just glad” when Greenlaw finalized his deal with the Broncos after the 49ers’ late push reportedly included a home visit by Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan in Texas. “The injuries I think played a part in how he became a free agent, otherwise he’s doesn’t ever hit the free agent market and he’s someone who’s contract is redone,” Payton said of Greenlaw, whose injuries shelved him missed for most of 2021 (groin) and 2024 (Achilles).
On Hufanga, Payton hailed his communication, intelligence and toughness. “There’s a style he plays, and part of that style because he’s so physical and quick to support, he’s had a handful of injuries. There’s a toughness about his game. You guys will like him. There’s something about him when you meet him and visit with him. That was a big get.”
UAE MARKETING RIGHTS
The 49ers, along with the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Commanders, were granted the NFL’s first marketing rights for the United Arab Emirates. Mexico and the United Kingdom also are under the 49ers’ marketing umbrella.
The 49ers are not expected to participate in any of the NFL’s seven international games this coming season. They last played internationally in 2022 in Mexico City, and their last London visit was in 2013.
JOINT PRACTICES
After injuries scuttled the 49ers’ plans to hold joint practices last training camp with the Tennessee Titans, this summer could lead the 49ers to such sessions with the Denver Broncos, according to The Athletics’ Matt Barrows.
Joint practices have been commonplace since Shanahan came aboard in 2017. The 49ers hosted the Denver Broncos in 2017, then hit the road for joint practices at the Houston Texans (2018), the Broncos (2019), the Los Angeles Chargers (2022), the Minnesota Vikings (2022), and the Las Vegas Raiders (2023).
MOODY SUPPORTER
Embattled kicker Jake Moody still has a staunch supporter in Jim Harbaugh, his former coach at Michigan who also previously coached the 49ers and is entering his second season with the Chargers. “He’s just like a very, very steady, confident player in his ability,” Harbaugh told reporters at the AFC breakfast, per Barrows. “I’ve seen him miss a few and then come back and make 14, 17 straight. I can’t remember exactly what it was. I would think it’s gonna repeat itself.”