When Brock Purdy officially announced his five-year contract extension in May this year, it was notable for two reasons. One, Purdy was literally going from being a No. 262 pick to getting a staggering $265 million contract—adding all the more pressure to justify his pay. And two, his contract came on the back of a long list of sacrifices via free agency and trades, giving the team the second-worst NFL offseason, as per CBS Sports.

So, as expected, many stuck to addressing the team’s front office as “cheap” for their lackluster offseason spending (their “$264 million free-agent spending deficit from players lost to players acquired was the largest in NFL history” as per reports). But, owner Jed York had reasoned back in April, “I’ve been called worse…as we looked at the board, there was [no one] that we felt made that type of an impact more so than making the decision to try to go pay Brock.” And now, two months later, looks like the team is ready to pull back the curtain even further…

During a candid interview with Pat McAfee on NFL on ESPN on June 11, GM John Lynch began, “In free agency—we watched a record number, in terms of finances—of free agents leave here,” before admitting:

“That’s a hard thing because we’ve always been adders during free agency. But you can’t pay everyone. To be able to pay this core, to pay our quarterback, we had to watch some really good players go.” Notably, just last week, even CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani had noted, “No team lost more talent [than the 49ers].” And it’s true. Apart from trading running back Jordan Mason, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr, the team also poached a plethora of players like:

• Safety Talanoa Hufanga
• Offensive guard Aaron Banks
• Linebacker Dre Greenlaw
• Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave
• Cornerback Charvarius Ward
• Pass rusher Leonard Floyd
• Defensive tackle Maliek Collins
• Offensive tackle Jaylon Moore and,
• Running back Elijah Mitchell

But, the silver lining? A youth movement, Lynch believes, could pay off. “Fortunately, we had 11 draft picks,” he said. “You can’t get old as a team. We had to let some guys we really loved go and get younger. With 11 draft choices, there’s gonna be a ton of opportunity for those young players to show who they are.”

It’s a gamble. One that Lynch knows cannot be fully judged until later. “Ask me in a couple years, and we’ll tell you how we did,” he further mentioned.

But for now, the 49ers are all in on Purdy’s magic, even if it means breaking up a championship-caliber supporting cast to keep him.

Brock Purdy’s negotiation gamble paid off

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Purdy’s camp had reportedly opened negotiations with a staggering $65 million-per-year demand, a number that would’ve made him the league’s highest-paid QB overnight. While that figure was never realistic for a 49ers team already juggling cap constraints, the high asking price also set the stage for an extended conversation, ultimately helping Purdy secure $53 million annually.

Truth be told, this is definitely life-changing money for a player who earned just $2.6 million total across his first three seasons (NFL’s 76th-highest-paid quarterback over that time period). But for the signal caller, whose entire career has been about exceeding expectations, maybe that $65 million wasn’t too high of a figure, either. Schefter mentioned in May, “Everybody’s initial asking price should be high. That’s how it should be, and his was. I don’t know that he thought he was going to get that, but you might as well start high. Nothing abnormal or unusual about that at all.”

One thing’s clear: Brock Purdy plays to win—whether it’s on the gridiron or at the bargaining table.