The San Francisco 49ers are at a critical juncture. After a few successful years, the team is falling apart this offseason – and now, of all times, a decision has to be made about quarterback Brock Purdy.

Flashback to 2022: The San Francisco 49ers are forced to throw Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy into the deep end after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

To the surprise of all the experts, Purdy wins all the games as the starter and takes the Niners to the NFC Championship Game, where an elbow injury in the first quarter puts a stop to the fairy-tale run.

As bitter as the injury was, fans of the 49ers had plenty to be positive about in the final stretch of the season. They had finally found a franchise quarterback – and a bargain at that: Purdy was set to earn a total of around $2.5 million in his first three years.

The future seemed bright, and just one year later, the team reached the Super Bowl. However, they didn’t manage to win the title again, as the Kansas City Chiefs were a touch better, just like in 2019.

San Francisco 49ers miscalculate

Even though San Francisco lost in two Super Bowls between 2019 and 2023 and once in the NFC Championship Game, the Bay Area still believed that the title window was open – General Manager John Lynch extended the contracts of Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk at a high cost, among others.

However, this turned out to be a bad decision. Both offensive stars suffered serious injuries last season, and the Niners suffered numerous absences and failed to make the playoffs. Once again, they were unable to take advantage of a favorable year with Purdy as quarterback – and suddenly the comfortable situation in the rookie contract is no longer an option.

After the Niners stretched the title window with expensive contracts and multiple restructures, the San Francisco house of cards is crumbling this offseason.

Niners lose numerous stars

With the departure of Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk and Dre Greenlaw, among others, long-standing faces of the franchise on both sides of the ball have been lost. A total of ten players have left the team this offseason, who have combined to appear in 536 games for the 49ers.

The 49ers have lost 10 players this offseason that have combined to appear in 536 games for the franchise, earning 12 combined Pro Bowl and three first team All-Pro nods in the process pic. twitter.com/5Egw1AN5JH

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 11, 2025

This does not come as a surprise to Lynch. “I think since Kyle [Shanahan] and I have been here, we’ve always had one of the highest-paid teams,” the GM explained on the sidelines of the NFL Combine. “At some point, every team has to hit the reset button.”

Reboot is a good keyword: the franchise is in a clear rebuild. And it is precisely in this phase that Purdy is entering his final year of contract. At first glance, an extension seems only a formality, but given the tenacious financial situation in San Francisco, the question is becoming louder and louder as to whether Purdy is really worth up to $55 million.

Rebuild with Brock Purdy?

The criticism surrounding the former Mr. Irrelevant is not new. Many fans and experts believe Purdy’s strong performances in his first two years were only possible because of the excellent circumstances in San Francisco – and feel vindicated after last season.

Purdy threw for a total of 3,864 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions – all worse numbers than in 2023. By comparison, in the Super Bowl season, Purdy threw for 4,280 passing yards and 31 touchdown passes.

Nevertheless, Purdy has shown enough to justify an extension. Lynch sees it the same way. “We want Brock to be our quarterback of the future and play here for a few more years,” he told NFL.com. “There are no guarantees, but in my experience, if both sides are motivated to keep working, there’s always a solution.”

49ers are threatened with Purdy mediocrity

The statements are not surprising – but the price question will remain.

Because even if the team around head coach Kyle Shanahan pays the young quarterback the usual market rates, the already cash-strapped team from the Bay Area lacks the necessary funds to provide Purdy with a strong supporting cast as in previous years.

They would run the risk of being too good with a mediocre team to collect high draft picks and too bad to be a serious contender for the title.

Not an easy situation for Lynch – but if Purdy doesn’t go on a holdout, he can watch his team develop for another year with his inexpensive quarterback. However, if Purdy has a strong season, he also risks increasing the price by $10-15 million annually.

Purdy has to prove himself

Ultimately, the 49ers have to realize this: If they extend the former seventh-round pick’s contract for well over $50 million per year, Purdy will have to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback even without numerous stars at his side.

Whether the Niners fall into a trap with such a deal and sink into mediocrity cannot be ruled out. However, even with a radical overhaul and high picks in the draft, there is no guarantee that a remotely adequate replacement can be found – San Francisco, in particular, can tell you a thing or two about that after the Lance misunderstanding.

Accordingly, Lynch and Co. don’t have much choice but to give Purdy a mega-contract sooner or later – despite all the risks involved.