No longer Mr. Irrelevant, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has the opportunity to win his first Super Bowl, but Purdy won't be cashing in as one of the highest-paid quarterbacks anytime soon.
Purdy was chosen by the 49ers with the final selection, No. 262, in the 2022 NFL Draft but has played his way into the MVP conversation in just his second NFL season.
After Purdy passed for a career-high 4,280 yards with 31 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions while leading the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs, conventional wisdom would suggest that San Francisco would rip up his rookie contract and renegotiate his deal to make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league.
After all, it has become a talking point on every 49ers broadcast this season that Purdy made just $870,000 in the second year of his rookie contract in 2023. Next season, Purdy's base salary only escalates to $985,000.
However, even if general manager John Lynch and the 49ers want to reward their young star quarterback by inching him closer to Patrick Mahomes' 10-year contract worth $450 million, they can't.
According to the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, "Rookie Contract for a Drafted Rookie may not be renegotiated, amended or altered in any way until after the final regular season game of the player's third contract year."
The earliest Purdy is even eligible for an extension that puts him in line even with the average salary for a starting quarterback is January 2025, following his final snap of the 2024 campaign.
Purdy's contract has been one of the best roster-building tools in the entire league, as Lynch has had the spending flexibility to add the likes of All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, edge rusher Chase Young, and other superstar caliber players because the 49ers are not encumbered by paying anywhere close to market value at quarterback.
Now, the 49ers have the opportunity to win their first Super Bowl of this era. But, even if they do, it won't have any impact on Purdy's bottom line.
