The Kyle Shanahan era with the San Francisco 49ers has been defined by turmoil at quarterback.
In 2017, Shanahan’s first year, they opted for a rotating cast that featured Brian Hoyer and CJ Beathard before a midseason trade landed them Jimmy Garoppolo. Injuries littered Garoppolo’s tenure. So did rumors of Tom Brady joining the 49ers. Then they traded up for Trey Lance, and then they found their franchise QB with the final pick in the 2022 draft.
This offseason there’s still a major question mark under center, but there’s no doubt about who the starting quarterback will be for the foreseeable future.
Brock Purdy’s contract is still looming over the 49ers’ offseason, and it will continue to do so as long as a deal isn’t done.
There’s not really a question about whether Purdy will get paid. That seems to be a foregone conclusion. The question is how much he gets paid and when. The latter of those two is more important.
The 49ers can continue their trend of a smooth offseason under center by hammering out a deal with Purdy sometime before the offseason program begins in mid-April. By doing so they can avoid the word ‘holdout’ entering the discourse for yet another offseason. They can also avoid continued questions about whether Purdy really is their franchise QB despite what general manager John Lynch and team CEO Jed York have said publicly.
How much Purdy gets paid is consequential, but it’s less of a question mark. The number is likely to be a big one that affects how the 49ers can build around their franchise QB.
For now, the 49ers just need to get a deal done if they’re aiming to cement Purdy as their No. 1 QB for the next era of football in the Bay Area. Until they do, it will be their biggest question mark at the position, and on their roster.