AAfter leading the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie last season and leading the team all the way to the Super Bowl on Sunday, quarterback Brock Purdy scoffed at the “Mr. Irrelevant” label he was given as a The 262nd (and final) pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 24-year-old ranked fifth in total passing yards this past regular season (4,280), one spot ahead of upcoming Super Bowl opponent Patrick Mahomes (4,183). Ranked third in passing touchdowns (31 yards), once again beating Mahomes who had 27 passing touchdowns. ) and ranked first in passer rating (113.0).
Purdy’s level of play puts him among the best players at his position in the NFL. As it turns out, he was far from irrelevant. Yet his annual salary is still commensurate with his lower initial draft stock. This is a huge advantage for the 49ers.
Since Purdy took over Kyle Shanahan’s offense from Jimmy Garoppolo midway through last season, the Niners are 21-5, including the playoffs. They finished the 2023 regular season with a 12-5 record as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
His total compensation (salary plus bonuses) this season is $870,000, the lowest of any quarterback starting Week 1.
Only two others — Desmond Ridder of the Atlanta Falcons ($949,000) and Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders ($870,000) — are making more this year Also less than $1 million (we’re legally obligated to point out here that $870,000 per year is very good money in almost every other industry). Reed, who battled backup Taylor Heinicke for the starting job in Atlanta during the second half of the season, is unlikely to be the Falcons’ No. 1 quarterback in 2024. Howell will almost certainly be usurped in Washington, where the Commanders, who have the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, are reportedly considering a new quarterback.
Purdy, meanwhile, is hot on the heels of the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson in the race for league MVP.
Mahomes, who will make $59.4 million in the 2023 regular season (much of it from signing bonuses and player bonuses), left the game when he left the field after the Chiefs’ 21-20 loss to Detroit. Si’s income that year had exceeded that of Purdy. Lions of the first week.
Each win Purdy led the 49ers to during the regular season cost the team just $72,500. His 31 touchdown passes were sold for $28,065 each. For every yard he passed, the team lost just $203.28. By comparison, Mahomes’ cost per regular-season win was $5.94 million (he missed the final game). Each of his touchdown passes is worth $2.2 million. His passes cost the Chiefs $14,200 per yard.
Even Dak Prescott, the NFL’s leader in passing touchdowns, costs the Dallas Cowboys $861,111 every time he reaches the end zone. Tua Tagovailoa leads the league in passing yards, but the Miami Dolphins charge $1,016 per yard. Jackson became the only quarterback in 2023 with more regular-season wins than Purdy with 13 points. But when factoring in the Baltimore star’s annual salary and sizable signing bonus, his league-high $80 million in earnings means each win costs the Ravens $6.15 million.
In a vacuum, those numbers may not mean much — the Chiefs were happy to pay Mahomes a hefty sum because his ridiculous talent has gotten them to the Super Bowl in four of the last five seasons.But Purdy and Mahomes play in a league with a strict salary cap, which means money for the 49ers No Their quarterback salary could be spent on talent elsewhere.
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The 49ers have an all-league caliber roster in every department. At the skill positions, they have superstar receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle , and MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey at running back. Linebacker Kyle Juszczyk is an eight-time Pro Bowler and Trent Williams is the best offensive tackle in the NFL. The defense includes two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and elite linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, while the defensive end Terminal Nick Bosa is one of the most feared edge rushers in the game.
McCaffrey and Juszczyk are the highest-paid players at their respective positions, while Warner, Kittle and Williams are all in the top five, Samuel is seventh among wide receivers and Hargrave is on the defensive line Ranked sixth among players.
Allowing Purdy to play at such a high level for such a low salary allows San Francisco to take an approach to team building that wouldn’t be possible under salary cap constraints. What’s more, the quarterback has two years left on his current deal, which is sustainable, ensuring their window as a Super Bowl contender remains open in the medium term, regardless of Sunday’s outcome.
Even with the increasing annual salary, Purdy’s $1.1 million in the fourth and final season of his contract is still only about 5 percent of the average NFL starting quarterback.
The 49ers selected Purdy with the final pick in the 2022 draft, giving them not only their franchise quarterback of the future but potentially the most valuable contract in all of sports.
