SANTA CLARA — The biggest bonanza in 49ers’ contract history is official, turning Brock Purdy from a 262nd overall draft pick into a $265 million man.
Purdy, having signed his five-year extension through the 2030 season, will speak to reporters Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at Levi’s Stadium
General manager John Lynch took only so much credit for having drafted Purdy with that seventh-round flier.
“Brock is a tremendous leader and a fantastic representative for the 49ers organization, and we are ecstatic to get this deal done,” Lynch said in a statement Tuesday. “When we took him with the last pick in the Draft, we knew he had potential to succeed in this league, but we had no idea how special of a player he would become.
“He has played at an exceptionally high level since taking over the starting job, and we look forward to seeing him continue to lead this team for years to come.”
Purdy, 25, led the 49ers to a Super Bowl and to two NFC Championship Games in his first two years, before last season’s team-wide descent into a 6-11, last-place club.
His ascent into a franchise quarterback is a storybook tale that he’ll now build on for years to come with the 49ers.
Of course, it began with him as the last pick of the 2022 draft out of Iowa State, handcuffing him to the “Mr. Irrelevant” title that now is a badge of honor. He went from fourth-string quarterback in training camp to the emergency quarterback once the 2022 season saw Trey Lance then Jimmy Garoppolo get injured.
Purdy’s initial start saw him beat none other than Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then his 7-0 jump came to an abrupt halt in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia, where he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.
Rather than opt for a year-long recovery and Tommy John surgery, Purdy underwent an InternalBrace repair and recovered to throw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards, followed by comeback playoff wins over Detroit and Green Bay before a Super Bowl overtime loss to Kansas City. That season earned him Pro Bowl accolades and a fourth-place finish in AP NFL MVP voting (and sixth-place in NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting).
Purdy is 23-13 in regular-season starts, 4-2 in the playoffs. His fourth season begins Sept. 7 when the 49ers visit the Seattle Seahawks. But first, organized team activities get underway in a week, then mandatory minicamp follows June 9-11 before a month break until camp.
Perhaps one question Purdy can answer Wednesday: Is he interested or does his contract forbids him from playing flag football in the 2028 Olympic Games, after NFL owners and the players’ union on Tuesday approved players inclusion in that event?
Purdy, at last year’s Super Bowl, spoke fondly of his flag-football days as a youth in Queen Creek, Arizona: “I played up until I was about 12, and I think it just helped with the speed of the game. It was a quick game. I think hand-eye coordination, all that kind of stuff really did develop for me throughout my years of playing flag football. Obviously, being able to juke and cut and move in certain ways, just from the way the sport is, helped me for tackle football. I feel like when I started playing tackle football it was a little slower, actually. Because of just the pace of the game compared to flag.”
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Here is how the 49ers summed up Purdy’s exploits in a press release announcing his contract (while excluding its financial terms, which reportedly include $165 million guaranteed in the deal’s first three years):
Purdy (6-1, 220) was originally drafted by the 49ers in the seventh round (262nd overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft. Throughout his three-year career (2022-24), he has appeared in 40 games (36 starts), completing 722 of 1,069 passing attempts (67.5 percent) for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns and a passer rating of 104.9 through the air to go along with 127 carries for 480 yards (3.8 average) and eight touchdowns on the ground. He has also started in six postseason contests, completing 107 of his 171 passing attempts (62.6 pct.) for 1,343 yards, six touchdowns and a passer rating of 96.2, as well as 21 carries for 98 yards (4.7 avg.) and one touchdown.
In 2024, Purdy completed 300 of his 455 passing attempts (65.9 pct.) for 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns and a passer rating of 96.1 to go along with career highs in rushing attempts (66), rushing yards (323) and rushing touchdowns (five). His five rushing touchdowns marked the most by a 49ers quarterback since the 2012 season (QB Colin Kaepernick – five).
After taking over as the starting quarterback in Week 14 of the 2022 season, Purdy won each of his first 10 starts, which is tied for the second-most wins by a quarterback to begin a career in NFL history (QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pit. – 15; QB Mike Livingston, KC – 10; QB Mike Tomczak, Chi. – 10). Through his first 25 career starts, Purdy completed 477 of his 690 passing attempts (69.1 pct.) for 6,508 yards and 47 touchdowns with a passer rating of 112.6. His 69.1 completion percentage, 47 touchdowns and 112.6 passer rating rank first in 49ers franchise history among quarterbacks whose first 25 career starts were with the team. His 112.6 passer rating in those starts is the highest by any NFL quarterback in their first 25 career starts since at least 1970.
In his first full season as a starter (2023), Purdy earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career after setting the single-season franchise records for passing yards (4,280) and passer rating (113.0), leading San Francisco to an NFC Championship victory and an appearance in Super Bowl LVIII. His 113.0 passer rating led all NFL quarterbacks that season. He also posted the third-highest single-season completion percentage in franchise history by completing 308 of his 444 passing attempts (69.4 pct.). Purdy holds the NFL record for the most games with two-or-more passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 115.0-or-higher (15) in a player’s first three seasons. He also holds NFL records for the most games with a passer rating of 120.0-or-higher (13), 130.0-or-higher (10) and 140.0-or-higher (six) in a player’s first three seasons.
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A 25-year-old native of Gilbert, AZ, Purdy attended Iowa State University for four seasons (2018-21) where he appeared in 48 games (46 starts) and completed 993 of 1,467 passing attempts (67.6 pct.) for 12,170 yards and 81 touchdowns through the air to go along with 365 carries for 1,117 yards (3.3 avg.) and 19 touchdowns on the ground. As a freshman in 2018, he earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and was named Associated Press First-Team All-Big 12 as a senior in 2021.