SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In early April, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy‘s phone rang. As he went to answer it, the caller ID read: Kyle Shanahan.
Purdy had been away from his teammates and coaches for about three months, and this offseason had been different.
He was going through his first contract negotiation, and by that point, Purdy’s agent, Kyle Strongin, and the Niners had progressed toward a deal but nothing had been consummated. Purdy couldn’t help but wonder when the deal was going to get done and if he should consider skipping the offseason program.
Shanahan, the 49ers coach since 2017, has generally avoided getting involved in contract matters unless absolutely necessary — such as with deals for tackle Trent Williams and receiver Brandon Aiyuk last season.
But in this case, Shanahan sensed the time away might have created some doubt in Purdy’s mind on where he stood with the team. Shanahan’s goal with this call was to let Purdy know he’s still the Niners’ guy and that reporting to the offseason program mattered as a leader of the team.
“I just wanted to give him some clarity,” Shanahan said. “I hope by me kind of reassuring him of that, it would kind of take the edge off and the pressure off. … And I just wanted to assure him that [the negotiation] wasn’t going to change anything.”
Shanahan’s words were exactly what Purdy needed to hear. Purdy never truly considered staying away from the team while his deal was hashed out, but Shanahan’s affirmations solidified what he already believed.
“I totally agreed with him,” Purdy told ESPN. “It was a good reminder for him to call and remind me of what’s important in the long run.”
That conversation served as a springboard to an epic offseason for Purdy.
In May, he signed a five-year, $265 million contract that represents the biggest raise in NFL history with $181 million in overall guarantees and a no-trade clause. He then spent the summer improving — mainly working on his mobility and getting the ball out quicker — while continuing to focus on his growth as a leader. And in late July, he celebrated the birth of his first child — a daughter named Millie Joleen — with his wife, Jenna.
What comes next, however, might be the most difficult chapter in Purdy’s story to date. No longer the best bargain in sports, Purdy is now tied as the seventh-highest paid player in the league and charged with leading the 49ers back to the playoffs following an offseason in which they lost nearly 20 players — in no small part because they were preparing to pay him.
Under the terms of his extension, Purdy will make about $2.9 million per week, which is more than the $2.6 million he earned in total over his first three NFL seasons.
All of which is why, as the 49ers prepare to open the 2025 season following last year’s 6-11 finish, all eyes are on Purdy and whether he can elevate his game and team back into the playoffs.
“You talk about a Cinderella story; I think that’s the epitome of that,” Williams said. “To go from making a few hundred thousand a year to making $50 million a year? He is the guy for this team. He is the guy for this franchise. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
WHEN PURDY, JENNA, center Jake Brendel and his wife, Zan, arrived at the Olympic Club in San Francisco for a round of golf on the Lake Course on May 16, Purdy knew the contract negotiations were in the final stages.
The sides had agreed on the number, but there were other details to work through such as guarantees and cashflow. Strongin let Purdy know that he’d been talking to the team throughout the day.
Perhaps it was nerves, or that he’s still something of a golfing neophyte, but Purdy was having what he calls an “all right” round and bogeyed the 17th hole when Strongin sent him a simple text in all caps. “DONE DEAL” it read, with instructions to answer a FaceTime call from Niners general manager John Lynch.
Relief washed over Purdy as he and Jenna enjoyed a brief celebratory moment before Lynch delivered the good news, handing the phone to Shanahan and owner Jed York, all of whom congratulated their newly minted franchise quarterback.
“We had a little moment together of ‘this is pretty special,'” Purdy said. “All the things that we’ve been through and getting drafted last, elbow surgery, Super Bowl, you name it. To be able to get to that moment was pretty cool.”
In the recent history of Niners’ big-money contract negotiations, Purdy’s was one of the quicker and less contentious. Recent deals for Williams and Nick Bosa didn’t get done until days before the season. Last summer, Aiyuk staged a hold-in at camp until his deal was worked out.
But that doesn’t mean Purdy’s contract negotiation didn’t have its share of obstacles.
Early in the process, Strongin showed Purdy and his wife a presentation they planned to put in front of the Niners’ top decision makers. It included all the statistics and accolades that Purdy has accumulated in his first three seasons.
It also featured some player comparisons, offering the raw data on how Purdy stacks up against some of the other highly paid quarterbacks in the league such as Detroit’s Jared Goff, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence. All of them had signed deals in recent years worth at least $53 million per year, information that was also included in the presentation.
Purdy and his camp decided early on that they weren’t going to try to beat Dallas’ Dak Prescott’s $60 million per year average, and though they cared about the annual number, they were more concerned with other things.
“Everyone talks about what you’re getting paid per year and that’s important to a degree, but obviously if you can manage to get money that’s guaranteed, that’s something that everyone values a lot,” Purdy said. “We didn’t need to break the market by getting 60-plus and have all this record-breaking stuff. That’s not what we were aiming for.”
As the Purdy camp discussed what number they’d like for an average value, one name kept sticking out: Lawrence.
On paper, Lawrence represented the polar opposite of Purdy’s “Mr. Irrelevant” story.
Lawrence was highly recruited entering college and a slam dunk No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
When Lawrence negotiated his second contract in 2024, he had made a Pro Bowl (2022) but his combined 50.9 QBR ranked 23rd among qualified quarterbacks over that three-year stretch. Still, the Jaguars believed in him and, in June 2024, they signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract with $200 million in guarantees, a $55 million a year average — tied for second highest in the league. It’s a deal that was negotiated by MGC Sports, a place that, at the time, employed Strongin.
A comparison between Purdy and Lawrence showed that Purdy had more success in his first two-plus seasons, albeit on a much better roster. Purdy also made a Pro Bowl, compiled a 70.1 QBR (second best among all quarterbacks with at least two seasons played since 2021) and the Niners went 27-15 including four playoff victories and a Super Bowl appearance with Purdy starting.
As Purdy and his camp considered the number they wanted to reach, another curveball was thrown into the mix. Contractually, Purdy was the only top quarterback in need of a lucrative extension this offseason. But in March, the Buffalo Bills gave Josh Allen — the reigning league MVP — a six-year extension also worth $55 million per season. It was a deal that could have been worth far more given Allen’s accomplishments.
“Josh Allen was going into his third contract, and I’m going into my second contract and obviously looking at Trevor and what he got done last year with his deal,” Purdy said. “You look at contracts and you compare, and you’re not disrespecting any [other quarterbacks] or anything. … You look at all those things and you negotiate ’em and you try to meet in the middle somewhere.”
That middle ground for Purdy and the Niners became $53 million per season. It was the sweet spot, higher than San Francisco’s initial offer but lower than where Purdy and Co. began. Once that was decided, things moved quickly. Through it all, Purdy avoided outside noise, deleting social media to focus on his family, his training and his burgeoning love of golf.
Perhaps more important, the bigger numbers won’t kick in until 2026 with Purdy’s annual average salary checking in at just 18.98% of the cap, which ranks 14th among quarterbacks.
The goal, according to Purdy, was to thread the needle between getting what he deserved and offering some flexibility to the front office to continue building around him as the cap rises and other quarterbacks get paid.
When it was all done, Purdy learned plenty about the business side but was pleased with how it worked out.
“I’ve always heard from the guys in the locker room that, ‘Hey, man, once the negotiations start, you might hear some things, but that’s just how it goes. Stick to who you are. Don’t let it change you and understand that this whole thing is a business,'” Purdy said “This is a business, but it’s really nice when you have guys that can represent you, handle that, and just allow me to focus on football, my teammates, my family. That’s so crucial throughout this whole process.”
With the deal done and perhaps feeling a bit lighter, Purdy stepped to the tee on the short par-4 18th hole at Olympic Club. The result? A birdie.
PURDY DIDN’T SPEND his offseason piling pressure on himself to live up to the expectations that go with a big contract. Instead, he found ways he could improve as a player and a leader.
In early March, Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk was about to embark on what he now calls “the worst three days” of his year when Shanahan called to tell him that the team was releasing him after seven seasons.
With the news still fresh, Juszczyk’s phone lit up again. This time, it was Purdy — offering gratitude and encouragement.
“It just meant a lot for him to give me a call and go out of his way and just impart how he felt about me as a player, as a person,” said Juszczyk, whom the 49ers re-signed days later. “I really, really appreciated that. But Brock really is always the same, even with the $53 million contract a year and now he’s got a kid. He literally is the same guy every day. It’s crazy.”
Entering his fourth NFL season, Purdy’s voice has grown every season. Teammates such as Juszczyk, tight end George Kittle and Williams say Purdy never hesitates to let another player know if a mistake is made in his own Purdy kind of way.
Early in one recent training camp practice, Purdy and wideout Ricky Pearsall missed connection during a passing drill with no defenders. Under normal circumstances, Pearsall would get back in line and Purdy would move to the next throw. Instead, Pearsall circled back to chat with Purdy about how to do it better. It was an example of the precision Purdy demands of himself and expects of his receivers. The duo went on to connect five times for big gains during the team period of that day’s practice.
A similar scene unfolded during organized team activities when Jauan Jennings stopped running a route over the middle and Purdy immediately let him know he needed to keep running.
Suffice it to say, Purdy has no trouble commanding the Niners huddle as his voice grows louder and stronger.
“Him expressing his frustrations and not just, ‘we will get it next time,'” said tight end George Kittle. “Him saying that and then talking to Jauan about it so the next time we go through that rep, now we’re all on the same page. That type of vocal [leadership] is awesome.”
Purdy also focused his offseason on more tangible aspects of his game. He spent the summer doing his usual work in Florida with physical therapist Tom Gormely and checking in for throwing sessions with Kittle and other tight ends in Nashville, where Purdy purchased an offseason home.
One of Purdy’s priorities? Improved mobility.
Referring to himself as “more of a stiff quarterback,” Purdy wanted to work on his ability to maneuver in the pocket while also increasing the variety of arm angles he can throw from on the move. He has also honed in on his timing in hopes of getting the ball out in rhythm more frequently.
In 2024, Purdy’s average time to throw was 2.91 seconds, the sixth slowest in the NFL. It was part of a dip in overall production in which Purdy went from leading the league in QBR in 2023 (73.4) and throwing for 31 touchdowns to a 67.9 QBR (seventh in the NFL) with 20 touchdowns.
“He understands that his job is to execute the offense, to play quarterback,” said quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi. “He could have done better in some games in the past. There’s no disregard in that. I think he’s aware of that and tried to try and limit some of those mistakes to say, ‘Okay, I can still get better.”
A BETTER PURDY would go a long way in helping the Niners return to contender status. While there’s still a galaxy of stars in San Francisco, the 49ers said goodbye to some key players, such as linebacker Dre Greenlaw, cornerback Charvarius Ward and receiver Deebo Samuel in the offseason.
The natural assumption is that for the Niners to bounce back from last season’s 6-11 finish, they’ll need Purdy to take another step forward to offset their many departures when they open at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 7.
Shanahan appreciates that Purdy has organically grown into a more prominent role in the team hierarchy, but the last thing he wants is his quarterback trying to do too much.
“I want him to be the leader he’s always been,” Shanahan said. “There’s no worse thing to do than ask people to do something extra just because they’ve got a contract.”
In an already full offseason, Purdy and Jenna kept their pending parenthood enough of a secret that, when Jenna’s due date arrived on July 25, few people outside the 49ers building knew for sure why he wasn’t participating in practice.
When Purdy woke up that morning, Jenna and the couple’s doula informed him that Millie was going to arrive that day, which she did, just before 3 p.m. When his schedule allows, Purdy sneaks home for quiet moments with his daughter, time that he enjoys well beyond anything else that’s happened this year.
“I still really can’t describe it, just how awesome it is coming home and seeing that little baby girl and holding her and her sleeping on me,” Purdy said. “There’s nothing better. No gift can compare.”
Cemented as the Niners franchise quarterback for at least the foreseeable future and Millie’s dad forever, Purdy’s status has only grown from where he started as the No. 262 overall pick in 2022. He’s been a national pitch man for Toyota, Alaska Airlines and Buffalo Wild Wings, and Shanahan has even seen Purdy on a Las Vegas billboard.
Despite all of that, Shanahan’s belief in Purdy has been buoyed by how he’s handled it all while looking ahead to what comes next.
“It’s like, ‘Holy cow, this dude has got a little bit big time when you look around,'” Shanahan said. “But when you hang out with Brock, the way he talks, the way he dresses, the people he interacts with, he is zero different than the first day I met him. … I think that’s one of the things that makes Brock such a good quarterback.”
