For the second straight year, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was rewarded for being one of the most productive underpaid players in the NFL.
Purdy, in the third year of his original rookie deal, nearly doubled his 2024 salary with an $857,842 pay bump in performance-based pay, an NFL program instituted in 2002 that offers additional compensation based on playing time and salary.
Of the 25 names released by the NFL who cashed in, Purdy came in at No. 16 and he wasn’t even the highest 49er player on the list. That went to rookie guard Dominick Puni, who received $898,036 after playing all but one snap in 17 games after being a third-round draft pick out of Kansas.
Purdy’s salary in 2025 was $985,000, while Puni made $795,000.
Last season, Purdy received $737,759 in performance-based pay based on his 2023 playing time and performance.
Given that Purdy is due an extensive pay bump with a contract extension, it should be his last year in the program.
Thanks to a mandatory fourth-year pay increase based on making a Pro Bowl in 2023, Purdy is scheduled to make $5,346,000 in 2025. Purdy isn’t expected to play for that figure as both general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have committed to him as their quarterback of the future and the team has put its financial affairs in order with the departure of numerous players while negotiating an extension.
Related Articles
49ers clear the decks for Brock Purdy: Say goodbye to the ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ storyline
Bosa brothers or bust? 49ers must find others to join Nick on D-line
Why do the 49ers want Santa Clara Stadium Authority to pay $620,000 annually for a new office?
49ers free agency tracker: No Bosa brothers reunion as Joey takes Bills’ offer; Niners bring in WR Robinson, two safeties, linebacker
Are 49ers able to take this gut punch from NFL free agency?
The biggest boost went to linebacker Jamien Sherwood of the New York Jets, who received $1,092,206 in performance-based pay. Sherwood, who more than doubled his salary, was scheduled for free agency but re-signed with the Jets for three more years and a maximum of $45 million. Sherwood made just over $1 million last season and was named his team’s defensive Most Valuable Player.
The fund totaled more than $452 million this season and does not impact a team’s salary cap.
