When you’re in your second year after having been the last player selected in the NFL draft, you expect to spend a couple of years near the bottom of the NFL payroll food chain. That’s where 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who was pick No. 262 in the 2022 draft, currently resides, earning a cool $985K in 2023.
That’s right in the neighborhood of such luminaries as Ben DiNucci, Ian Book and Sam Ehrlinger. There’s no question that Purdy is underpaid. It’s just stunning to look at the fact that his cap hit is currently 67th among all NFL quarterbacks.
But the league does have a program that is designed to offset that disparity—somewhat, at least. The performance-based pay program gave out nearly $400 million in bonuses this year, and while most of the top bonuses went to underrated offensive linemen, Purdy was 24th on the list, with $739,765 to his credit, according to the league.
Brock Purdy Earned a Bonus
Purdy, no doubt, deserves the extra money after having led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter. Not only did he get the team to the brink of a Super Bowl championship, but he was a Pro Bowler in doing so, posting arguably the best quarterback numbers in the NFL.
Over the course of the regular season, Purdy led the team to a 12-4 record, sitting out Week 18 for rest and as a precaution ahead of the postseason. Purdy set a franchise record for passing yards with 4,280 and threw 31 touchdowns last year, making him the first 49ers quarterback since Jeff Garcia in 2001 to surpass 30 TDs in one year.
Purdy led the NFL in quarterback rating (113.0), QBR (72.8), yards per reception (13.9) and touchdown percentage (7.0%).
He was by far the most efficient quarterback in the NFL last season. Still, he received persistent criticism for being a so-called “system” quarterback, the implication being that Purdy was not a very good quarterback, but, rather, just a guy who can flourish in coach Kyle Shanahan’s innovative offense and by using the high-level talent the team has at the skill positions.
49ers Hopeful for More Purdy Improvement in 2024
Purdy is still a year away from considering his next contract, and even then it won’t really come into play until the following year.
In the meantime, Shanahan is excited to see how he can help Purdy, who was fourth in MVP voting, improve now that the focus is back on football. Purdy got married this offseason.
They’ll get another run in 2024, though, and Shanahan is excited about the fact that Purdy, after requiring elbow surgery last offseason, will have a healthy offseason this time.
“I’m just pumped that Brock gets an offseason,” Shanahan said at the NFL owners meetings, per 49ers Web Zone. “I mean, his first year he didn’t get much of one just because he was the third quarterback. Last year was all about he couldn’t really throw with us until training camp. And this year, he just got married, he’s fully healthy.
“He’s going to come back here in a couple of weeks, and we’ll get going.”
