Sports
There’s no doubt that having a good quarterback is the most important part of an NFL team-and it’s incredibly difficult to find one. That’s why, when a franchise believes they’ve found their guy, they end up paying tens (or hundreds) of millions of dollars in hopes he can transform the team-for better or worse. It’s always a risk, and that’s part of what makes professional sports so exciting.
The San Francisco 49ers might have found their next starting quarterback and his name is Tanner Mordecai
Sometimes, taking that risk is the only way forward-and that’s the situation the San Francisco 49ers are in, after handing Brock Purdy an eye-popping contract. The quarterback agreed to a five-year, $265 million deal, $181 million of which is guaranteed-thanks in large part to his performance in the 2023 season. However, many analysts believe this deal is a huge gamble.
Purdy now joins the $50 million-per-season club. Just a few months ago, when contract talks were ongoing, Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua publicly disagreed with the idea of Purdy getting that kind of money, arguing it could “close the 49ers’ Super Bowl window.” Well, San Francisco went ahead and did it anyway-and now we’ll see if they end up regretting it.
The Positives and Negatives of 49ers QB Brock Purdy’s Extension
Kyle Shanahan has doubts about Purdy deep down
Purdy’s agents pushed hard for the deal, largely fueled by his performance a couple of seasons ago: 4,289 passing yards and 31 touchdowns, and nearly beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. In 2024, the numbers weren’t much worse-3,864 yards and 20 touchdowns-but he struggled significantly in high-pressure, late-game situations.
The 49ers missed the playoffs and ended up in last place in the NFC West. And here’s where it gets interesting-analyst Jason McIntyre made a harsh statement about Brock Purdy: “Brock Purdy, when tied or trailing in the second half, is not good.”
According to data shared by McIntyre, Purdy has serious trouble when playing from behind. In those scenarios, he’s posted just 9 wins to 15 losses. He simply doesn’t show much ability to rally his team in those moments.
McIntyre continued his criticism: “Brock Purdy is great when everything goes according to script. But when that script breaks down, it’s not a good look.” Still, he believes not all the blame falls on Purdy. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has also had trouble managing games late: “Kyle Shanahan, when he went to the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs-they were up 20-10 in the fourth quarter, and they still lost. So there’s a pattern of Shanahan struggling to finish games,” McIntyre explained.
What’s undeniable is that the 49ers have already paid Brock Purdy. It’s a situation with more questions than answers. What might help San Francisco is that they have the easiest schedule in the NFL for 2025. That could give Purdy a chance to shine-but if he doesn’t, the franchise may suffer for years from having committed to the Iowa State product.
This news was originally published on this post .