Imagine the 49ers‘ locker room as the latest season of a high-stakes reality show—let’s call it “Survivor: Salary Cap Edition.” One by one, key players are getting voted off, all in the name of financial recalibration. On the surface, it looks like the Niners are clearing the books to lock in their star quarterback, Brock Purdy. However, as per some insiders, a new quarterback seems ready to steal Purdy’s thunder.

If you’re still confused, we’re talking about the newly signed QB Mac Jones, who was signed to the roster on a two-year deal with $6 million guaranteed, earlier this month. And, the QB is seemingly locked and loaded. Meaning? If you’re thinking that Jones’ is going to be a backup to Purdy—at this point, it’s time to give yourselves a second guess. No, it’s not us saying this…

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that the former New England Patriots quarterback may start the 2025 season for the 49ers instead of Purdy. “I’ve heard enough about Mac Jones over the years, and I’ve seen enough from Mac Jones,” Florio recently stated. “He is not going to show up and bow down to Brock Purdy.” But why does he believe that?

See it this way: Brock Purdy was the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft and ever since then, the guy has been dubbed as Mr Irrelevant—despite leading the Niners to the Super Bowl spot just in the second season of his career. On the other side, there’s Mac Jones. The 26-year-old QB was drafted by the Patriots with 15th overall in the 2021 draft. And if you ask Florio, that’s exactly why Jones has the upper hand.

“He’s (Jones) going to go in there with the mindset of, ‘I can win this job. I was the 15th pick in the draft in [2021]. This guy was the last guy taken in [2022]. This guy, right place at the right time, running Kyle Shanahan’s offense. That’s all you have to do. You listen to Kyle, you do what Kyle wants, and you’re going to play well.” However, if the last season has taught us anything—then it’s not as easy to earn a QB1 role as it sounds. And here’s the thing: Mac Jones has been in the NFL for four years now. Across his four seasons with the Patriots and the Jaguars, the player has a track record of 20-29 in the regular season. And Purdy? Two words: Far better.

He’s been the QB1 for the Niners for the last three seasons and has established himself with a 23-13 record in the regular season and 4-2 in the postseason. Translation? Well, if we’re talking draft pedigree, sure, Jones has the edge. But when it comes to actually delivering on the field and leading the squad, Brock Purdy is making the louder statement.

Moreover, Purdy’s Mr. Irrelevant moniker has never sat right. Mainly because from his very first gridiron appearance for the 49ers, he’s turned heads. And as things stand, Purdy is Shanahan’s best QB with the team. Since 2022, he’s ranked first in the league in yards per attempt. His 104.9 passer rating also ranks a staggering second among qualifying QBs. The 25-year-old became the second player in NFL history to record a cumulative total quarterback rating of 115 or greater in his first two starts, after Aaron Rodgers. In fact, in his second year as a starter, Purdy even led his team to a Super Bowl after a 12-5 record. While the 2024 season hasn’t been favorable mostly owing to team injuries, Purdy is still a revered signal-caller within the team. But the debate isn’t done yet. Not so soon.

See, the Niners have tried different QBs before Purdy established himself as the team’s QB1. And Florio believes that Jones can pull out the same success for the team as Purdy did. “That’s going to be Mac Jones’ attitude,” Florio continued. “He’s going to go in there, regardless of whether or not it works … not with the idea that ‘I support Brock Purdy’. No…’I’m trying to beat Brock Purdy out, and I want to give the 49ers something to think about’.”

Now, that’s where things get pretty interesting. After the San Francisco team snagged Jones, the QB admitted that he’s looking to learn from Purdy. “I know Brock personally, and he’s done a great job and played really good football in the NFL,” Jones said. “So I’ve been really watching him from afar on game film and stuff, and just want to learn from him and be a sponge.” From the looks of it, Jones doesn’t seem to be getting the starting position served on a silver platter. Also if you take into account the team’s larger sentiment toward Purdy, Mike Florio’s statements don’t seem true at all…

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Debate

As per 49ers’ General Manager John Lynch, “We have interest in Brock being around here for a long, long time.” And then there was Shanahan who doubled down with: “I plan on being with Brock here the whole time I’m here.” 

The team’s linebacker Fred Warner also told ESPN, “Brock Purdy—he’s the man. He will be the 49ers quarterback for a very, very, very long time with plenty of Super Bowl rings on his fingers.” But, no matter how deep the belief, we’re forgetting one very important aspect…

The stalled contract extension.

Brock Purdy has a huge figure in mind

It’s been almost two months since the 49ers ended their 2024 season. Plus, it’s also been almost a couple of months since the start of a contract extension negotiation between Brock Purdy and the San Francisco team. Did he get a deal? Absolutely not. See, Purdy is going to enter the final season of his rookie contract and wants an extension as quickly as possible. The catch?

Well, Mr Irrelevant wants a gigantic contract extension that may even surpass Josh Allen’s contract terms. If reports are to be believed, Purdy has his sight on a contract close to Dak Prescott’s contract, according to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo.

“Purdy is going to look at this (the average pay of QB in last few years is estimated to be 21-25% of salary cap) and say, ‘I need to be paid like one of the top quarterbacks in the league,'” Garafolo said. “If it’s on the low end of that, he’s going to clear guys like Trevor Lawrence. He’s not going to get to Dak Prescott’s number of $60 million per season, but he’ll be in the high 50s. If he really wants to push it to Joe Burrow who took the biggest, who took the biggest chunk of the salary cap, that’s like $68 million per year.” 

That being said, don’t expect him to demand over $60 million a year. Why? Simple—the 49ers are already in full-on roster reset mode. If their QB comes with a sky-high price tag, that whole plan of building a stacked squad goes out the window. However, Garafolo believes that a contract close to Prescott’s current deal is on the cards for Purdy.

“I don’t see this getting done until Purdy and the 49ers agree on a number that’s close to Dak Prescott,” he continued. “Not all the way there, but close to Dak Prescott. Purdy is saying that’s fair, but it also still gives the team and John Lynch the opportunity to do things elsewhere on the roster.” Well, the 49ers would still consider before offering this massive contract to the QB.

Sounds like some interesting times are ahead. Let us know if you think Brock Purdy deserves his asking price.