FS1 host thinks 49ers should wait before giving Brock Purdy contract extension

Since San Francisco selected him last overall in the 2022 draft, Brock Purdy has won 22 of his 35 regular-season starts and guided the 49ers to a Super Bowl. Among quarterbacks who’ve started 28 games in that time frame, only Jalen Hurts (.791), Patrick Mahomes (.773), Josh Allen (.750) and Lamar Jackson (.725) have better winning percentages than Purdy (.710). However, if the 49ers miss the playoffs, should San Francisco give Purdy a contract extension worthy of a franchise quarterback?

With their season on the line, the 49ers (5-6) prepare to face the Bills (9-2) in a road game on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), that was a question debated Tuesday afternoon on the FS1 set of First Things First. Nick Wright said, yes, the 49ers’ ability to make the playoffs should affect whether they tie up Purdy long-term.

“Because any of these quarterbacks that got contracts after three years,” Wright said, “almost to a man with one possible exception, if there was any question, we now look back and say, ‘That was probably a mistake.’”

Wright said Patrick Mahomes was a slam dunk, getting his second contract after three years. Like Purdy, Joe Burrow led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl in his second year before getting his extension entering Year 4. Allen and Jackson were no-brainers. However, the quarterbacks who drew questions prior to receiving lucrative second contracts, Wright said, were Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray and possibly Justin Herbert. Wright said the debate is a weird cousin of the “Is he a Hall of Famer?” litmus test.

“Do you have to think about it? Then, no,” Wright said. “Should we give Brock Purdy $60 million at our first opportunity? If you have to think about it, then wait. And I have major reservations about a lot of his game and his durability at this point, now that he has suffered two – if this is a significant shoulder injury as some of the reporting has suggested – two injuries to his throwing arm in a very short career.”

Purdy’s latest injury, to his shoulder, sidelined him in last week’s 38-10 loss at Green Bay, the first time in his career injury has caused him to miss a game. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy did light throwing on Monday, will rest on Tuesday and see how he feels as the week goes on.

As a rookie in 2022, Purdy tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow in the opening quarter of the NFC Championship Game when Haason Reddick nailed him prior to a pass. But Purdy fought hard through rehab, returned and nearly led San Francisco to a Super Bowl championship, losing in overtime to Mahomes and the Chiefs last season.

Until injuring his shoulder against Seattle in Week 11, Purdy had been one of the team’s only rocks during a difficult season plagued by injuries and misfortune. In 11 games this season, he’s 202 of 306 (66.0 percent) for 2,613 yards with 13 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 95.9 passer rating. He’s also San Francisco’s second-leading rusher, with 267 yards and four touchdowns on 51 carries (5.2 avg.).

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