The San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy is the highest-rated quarterback in the league right now, per NFL.com. However, his salary is a far shot from representing his true capabilities on the gridiron. Out of all the starting elite QBs, his salary is the lowest! In the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he came off with a perfect QBR, becoming the first in the franchise to do so when throwing over 20 passes. His coach and teammates showered him with praise. “I couldn’t believe he was throwing it,” and “He has ice in his veins,” were the comments from HC Kyle Shanahan and WR Christian McCaffrey.
To drive home the point of how much of an injustice this is, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow earns more than 55 times that! He has been ruled out of almost the remaining half of the season due to an injury and is 18th on the list of the NFL’s QB rankings. So, how much does Purdy earn in a year?
Brock Purdy makes less than $1 million per year
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In the NFL Draft of 2021, he was the last to be picked. And it seems he has made it his life’s mission to prove the people who doubted him wrong. According to Spotrac, he signed a four-year contract worth $3,737,008 in 2021 with the 49ers. His contract also included a $77,008 signing bonus and had a clause wherein $77,008 of the money was guaranteed. That brings his average annual salary to $934,252. This year, because of the way the contract is structured, he will earn a base salary of $870,000, while carrying a cap hit of $889,252 and a dead cap value of $57,756.
His team, the 49ers, are currently at the top of the NFC and have managed to clinch the number one seed in the playoffs. And without Purdy at the helm, this would have been impossible. Some analysts are suggesting that the team should voluntarily tear up the contract, which has two years still on it, and give him the money that he deserves. Other starting QBs in the NFL are currently making between $12 million and $50 million per year. Purdy should be compensated within that range, at least.
But since compensation can be such a difficult thing to determine, could there be an objective way of doing so?
How can teams decide the compensation for a quarterback?
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According to Forbes, QBs should be paid in line with their performance. It also laid out a step-by-step procedure for determining a player’s salary. Starting with the round in which the QB was picked, anywhere between $5-10 million should be paid out per year of the contract. Then, based on the time of action, for every quarter that the QB plays, he could be paid $100,000. That would bring his 17-game perfect attendance to $6.8 million.
After each week, when the QB ratings are released, the team should pay the quarterback according to his ranking. If the team makes it to the playoffs, then winning the Divisional Playoffs should earn him twice the normal game amount. If he wins the Conference Championship, then he should be given $5 million as a bonus, and $10 million if he wins the Super Bowl.
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While Purdy himself has never made any noise about his salary, his fans want the team to finally start paying him what he deserves. Will the 49ers listen?
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