It seems like the 49ers are doing all they can to secure Brock Purdy’s future at least from their side. See, the Niners have already handed out huge contracts to Nick Bosa ($170M) and Brandon Aiyuk ($120M). They also traded Deebo Samuel to make more space in their salary cap. But it still wasn’t enough for them to hold onto their veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins. Kyle Shanahan’s team has just announced another roster move that could give them more relief in cap space.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter just now reported that Collins is out of the Bay Area before the free agency market opens on Monday. This makes Collins eligible not only to talk with other franchises but also to test himself in free agency. But his release does raise some eyebrows among those who saw Collins perform last season. After acquiring him from the Texans by sending a seventh-round pick, Collins was a solid defensive tackle in the Niners D-line.

He racked up 5 sacks, 33 tackles, 12 QB hits and even got two fumble recoveries under his belt. All in all, Collins more than deserved to continue playing on his two-year, $23M contract. However, it wasn’t meant to be. Why? Because of money. Cutting him with a post-June 1 release saves the Niners $3.1M in cap space. This might not seem like a lot to let go of a reliable defensive tackle, but in the NFL every dollar counts.

With the release of Collins, the 49ers now only have Jordan Elliot, Kevin Givens, Evan Anderson, Khalil Davis and Kalia Davis in that position. So, this leaves the 49ers a bit short in the defensive tackle position. You might be wondering how come short if they still have so many players at DT. Well, it’s the experience I am talking about. Collins was a veteran and by far the Niners’ top interior lineman. His exit could prompt the 49ers to look for someone either from the draft or through free agency. But before they do search for Collins’ replacement, they need to sort out Brock Purdy’s contract.

Currently, they aren’t anywhere near a breakthrough on the negotiating table. Because of their hardball tactics to save some money.

NFL insider paints a bleak picture on the 49ers’ efforts to sign Brock Purdy

On Tuesday, NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported the 49ers were trying to offer Purdy an extension worth $45M per year. But since those rumors, the Athletic’s Dianna Russini somewhat cleared out the air to give more clarity on what’s going on. She said referring to La Canfora’s reports on Purdy’s contract, “That is false. That would be disrespectful and that did not happen. That’s not true. They did not offer $45M. I will bet my phone on it.” Like, of course, this will be disrespectful to someone who clearly has been your best performer barring the 2024 season. Honestly, no one in the Bay Area was able to touch the heights of the 2023 season, which was when they made the trip to the Super Bowl LVIII.

Dealing with injuries throughout the roster, Purdy was also a victim to the injury curse that reigned over the Bay Area last season. He only played and started 15 games while passing for 3,864 yards and 20 TDs. So, the 49ers need to give their franchise signal-caller a deal he probably deserves. But you cannot rule out the fact that contractual negotiations can drag for a long time in San Francisco. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa all got their contracts sorted just before the new season started. That’s why it shouldn’t be surprising if the 49ers do take their time in sorting the negotiations out.

Yes, they do have the option of franchise-tagging him for two seasons at the cost of $92M. But it doesn’t look like Purdy will be too happy to play at that amount, which is pretty low for an NFL QB. So, let’s see what the 49ers do come up with next time they are on the negotiating table. Maybe their next offer to Purdy matches the standards he has been playing with since getting picked 262nd overall (former Mr. Irrevelant) in 2022.