Rams’ Puka Nacua believes 49ers’ ‘window closes’ if Brock Purdy gets $50 million per year

The San Francisco 49ers have had quite the offseason — and not in a good way. A considerable amount of talent has left the Bay Area over the last two months, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, safety Talanoa Hufanga, cornerback Charvarius Ward and linebacker Dre Greenlaw. General manager John Lynch says the team has a plan, but what does that plan entail?

San Francisco does have a whopping 11 picks in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft to utilize, but some believe the recent mass exodus has to do with Brock Purdy. The former “Mr. Irrelevant” is now eligible for a contract extension, and it figures to be a lucrative one. 

How much money Purdy will make in this next deal has been a hotly debated topic among analysts. As it turns out, players are talking about it too. During a recent appearance on Julian Edelman’s “Games With Names” podcast, Los Angeles Rams star wideout Puka Nacua was asked if he believed Purdy deserved a contract averaging in the high $40 millions per year.

“I think, no. I think mid-4s,” Nacua said, per NFL.com. 

Furthermore, Nacua believes the 49ers’ Super Bowl window could CLOSE if San Francisco pays him $50 million per year. 

“I think he seems like a smart guy,” Nacua said. “They have a chance to still be in their window. And I think if he goes for a 5 [$50 million-plus], then the window closes. Right?”

According to Spotrac’s market value tool, Purdy is in line to sign a four-year, $238,966,260 deal that averages $59.7 million per year. That would make him the No. 2 highest-paid quarterback in the NFL behind Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott. Spotrac’s market value tool usually is on the low side when it comes to projections, but in this case, it actually may be on the high side.

Purdy’s story is already one of the most fascinating tales in NFL history. The last player selected in a draft class helped take his team to the Super Bowl in his first full year as a starter. But where would Purdy fall if we were to power-rank quarterbacks? Is Purdy top 10, or more like top 15? As it stands now, Purdy already ranks first in NFL history when it comes to yards per attempt (8.9) and passer rating (104.9) (min. 1,000 passing attempts), but is he the engine that makes this 49ers offense go, or simply the steering wheel? Purdy is 27-15 as a starter in the NFL, including playoffs, but 10-11 when any member of his “big five” does not play — a list which includes Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Samuel. 

Even if Purdy doesn’t make $59.7 million like the projections say, odds are he will cross that $50 million threshold. There are 10 quarterbacks who currently make at least $51 million per year, including Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert. A quarterback making that much money does make life tougher for a general manager, but it doesn’t take them out of contention all together. Unless Purdy is in fact a quarterback who needs five All-Pro-type players around him to find success.