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Why the 49ers star is one of the league’s lowest paid QBs

Posted on by Josh L
Why the 49ers star is one of the league’s lowest paid QBs

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San Francisco 49ers defender Brock Purdy finished fourth in NFL Most Valuable Player voting for the 2023 season, but you wouldn’t know it based on his 2024 salary.

The 24-year-old entered the 2024 NFL season making peanuts compared to some of the other top players in the league.

Purdy is about to cash in on his success. 2022 NFL Draft Mr. Irrelevant can sign an extension with 49ers during the 2025 offseason. Then he’ll likely become the league’s next $200 million player and one of the highest-paid defensemen.

Until then, Purdy will be forced to scramble for a salary of less than $1 million.

Here’s what you need to know about Purdy’s contract and how it compares to other defensive backs in the NFL.

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Brock Purdy contract details

Purdy signed a four-year rookie contract with the 49ers worth just under $3.74 million after being selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Below is a breakdown of the basics of the deal, per Spotrac.com.

  • term: 4 years
  • Total cost: 3,737,008 USD
  • Average Annual Value (AAV): $934,252
  • Guaranteed money: 77,008 USD

Purdy won’t earn more than $1 million in salary until the final season of his rookie contract in 2025. Below is the annual breakdown of defense attorney salaries for Spotrac.com.

  • 2022 year: $705,000
  • 2023 year: $870,000
  • 2024 year: $985,000
  • 2025 year: 1,100,000 USD

What is Brock Purdy’s salary in 2024?

Purdy will receive a salary of $985,000 in 2024. His cap hit is slightly higher than $1,004,252 because a prorated portion of his signing bonus ($19,252) is carried over the 2024 season. The original signal caller occupies only 0.39 percent of San Francisco’s available space, at Spotrac.com.

That makes Purdy a bargain, especially compared to what some of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive backs are making.

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Highest Paid NFL QBs

Several metrics can be used to determine the NFL’s highest-paid defensive backs. AAV (average annual value), total guarantees and total contract value are the most popular among them, with AAV showing the best estimate of a quarterback’s annual value.

Purdy’s ranking in all three categories pales in comparison to the NFL’s top 10 defensive backs, as shown below.

AAV

Purdy’s current contract nets him just $934,252 in AAV. Nine of the NFL’s 10 highest-paid defensive backs earn more than $50 million in AAV.

  1. Duck Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 60 million dollars
  2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 55 million dollars
  3. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: 55 million dollars
  4. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: 55 million dollars
  5. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: $53.1 million
  6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: 53 million dollars
  7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $52.5 million
  8. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 52 million dollars
  9. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 51 million dollars
  10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: $46.1 million

Guaranteed money

Purdy’s contract included $77,008 in guarantees. Five NFL quarterbacks were guaranteed at least $200 million in lucrative long-term extensions.

  1. Duck Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 231 million dollars
  2. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: 230 million dollars
  3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: $219.01 million
  4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $218.74 million
  5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: 200 million dollars
  6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 185 million dollars
  7. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: $179.4 million
  8. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: $170.61 million
  9. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: $167.17 million
  10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: $160.3 million

Total value of the contract

The full value of Purdy’s four-year contract with the 49ers is about $3.74 million. Patrick Mahomes’ deal is worth $450 million, 120 times what Purdy is being paid.

  1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: 450 million dollars
  2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: 275 million dollars
  3. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: 275 million dollars
  4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $262.5 million
  5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: 260 million dollars
  6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: $258.04 million
  7. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: 255 million dollars
  8. Duck Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: 240 million dollars
  9. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: $230.5 million
  10. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: 230 million dollars

So while Purdy’s $3.74 million contract isn’t anything to sneeze at, it certainly pales in comparison to the rest of his highly-rated peers.

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NFL’s Lowest Paid QBs

How cheap is Purdy’s contract? Only three defensive backs among the NFL’s 53-man roster make less than him annually. OverTheCap.com.

Below are the 10 lowest-paid defensive players on the active roster based on the AAV of their contracts:

  1. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants: $832,500
  2. Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts: 902,676 USD
  3. Tyson Baigent, Chicago Bears: 906,667 USD
  4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: $934,253
  5. Skylar Thompson, Miami Dolphins: $935,552
  6. Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals: $972,500
  7. Desmond Ridder, Las Vegas Raiders: $985,000
  8. Bailey Zappe, Cleveland Browns: $985,000
  9. Sam Howell, Seattle Seahawks: $1,005,400
  10. Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles: 1,006,630 USD

DeVito and Badgent were undrafted in 2023, which explains why they earn less than Purdy.

Ehlinger, meanwhile, was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, a year before Purdy was a seventh-round pick in 2022. The average value of rookie contracts typically increases each year, which explains why Purdy earns slightly more than his higher-drafted counterpart.

Purdy is grossly underpaid by any measure. His top-five pick in 2023 has established him as one of the league’s best young defensemen, and he’ll likely be rewarded once he’s eligible.

Until then, the 49ers will continue to reap the rewards of one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league as they look to win their first Super Bowl since 1995.