Niners’ Easy Path to Release Brock Purdy After 2026 Season Avoids Contract Extension Trap
The San Francisco 49ers inked Brock Purdy to a significant contract extension.
However, when viewed from another perspective, they provided themselves with an opportunity to opt out of Purdy’s agreement within merely a few years if necessary.
The assured funds are mostly upfront in this agreement. It would only become extremely costly if he remains with the team throughout the entire five-year extension.
Here’s how
SI’s Grant Cohn
explained it:
In theory, the 49ers might release Purdy beyond 2025, yet they remain liable to pay him a guaranteed sum of $47 million in 2026 and almost $12 million as guaranteed money for 2027. This implies that cutting Purdy in 2026 isn’t an option since the team wouldn’t be willing to foot such costs just for him not to play over those couple of years.
When April 1, 2026 arrives and Purdy remains on the team’s roster, an extra $15 million option bonus will become guaranteed for 2027. This ensures he’ll receive a total of $115 million whether the 49ers decide to cut him in 2027 or not.
There’s a strong possibility that the 49ers might let go of Purdy in 2027. If he isn’t released before April 1, 2027, over $55 million would automatically become fully guaranteed for him in 2028. Furthermore, this could cause his salary cap figure to rise to $57.62 million in 2028.
Basically, the 49ers have just two additional years to assess what Purdy is capable of.
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He’ll earn substantial income during those seasons as well, yet San Francisco will retain an exit strategy to dodge a pair of potentially costly future seasons should they choose to do so.
Obviously, the hope for the 49ers is that Purdy is their long-term answer at the most important position in sports.
Even if he doesn’t end up playing, Purdy is still set to earn a substantial amount of money that the 49ers will be obligated to pay regardless.
However, there is also a pathway out of this situation, and it will be intriguing to observe in about two years to see how things develop.
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