The San Francisco 49ers did the right thing by getting quarterback Brock Purdy’s extension done well before training camp. Now the clock is ticking for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
Shanahan and Lynch already pulled off a miracle when they managed to survive the Trey Lance fiasco. They traded three first-round picks to move up in the 2021 draft and select Lance No. 3 overall. Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick ahead of his third season.
For most clubs that would have been the end of the head coach and general manager who oversaw that home run swing. Shanahan and Lynch avoided that fate thanks to Purdy, who they selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Purdy burst on the scene late in his rookie season and played exceedingly well en route to an NFC championship game appearance.
Now, Purdy is their unquestioned franchise QB. He earned a five-year extension worth up to $265 million with $165 million guaranteed. Shanahan and Lynch have hitched their wagon to the 25-year-old out of Iowa State − making him the third QB they’ve gotten to commit big-time resources to.
First, they made Jimmy Garoppolo the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback after he went 5-0 for them in five starts to close the 2017 season. They determined he couldn’t get them over the hump, which led to the Lance trade. Now they’re paying Purdy the most guaranteed money of any QB in the NFL (non-Deshaun Watson division).
It’s hard to envision a scenario where this goes sideways and the Shanahan-Lynch duo survive the fallout. Perhaps they fall backward into a better QB again, but that’s a scary bet to make given how rarely it happens.
They need Purdy to be good. This contract needs to be a success to the point he’s receiving another big-money extension when his three guaranteed years are up. In fact, if he’s not receiving an extension by the time his deal is winding down, it probably means the 49ers are moving on from him, their coaching staff and their front office.
It’s not that Lynch and Shanahan haven’t done a good job. They have. Almost every team in the NFL would trade places with a club that went to four conference championship games and two Super Bowls in a five-year stretch. At some point the equity gained from those postseason runs runs out.
Purdy is the player they’re banking on to keep their Super Bowl window open. Mr. Irrelevant is now the QB who will decide whether the Shanahan-Lynch era ends, or if the 49ers will contend another Lombardi trophy.
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