The San Francisco 49ers‘ offseason has been wild. Two big stories have taken over in Kyle Shanahan’s team: star players walking out and the front office opening its checkbook for some players. First, the exits. It’s been a tough goodbye to some serious talent. Guys like Chase Young, Arik Armstead, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, Javon Hargrave, and even Deebo Samuel? All are gone. Yes, it saves cap space, but depth takes a hit. And yet, this wasn’t a panic move. They planned this. Because they knew they were about to drop a historic bag on their quarterback, Brock Purdy.

The Iowa alumni just signed a $265 million deal for five years, thereby making $53 million a year. That’s the biggest contract in team history, and it clearly tells that the 49ers believe Brock Purdy is the future. But not everyone’s clapping this move by Kyle Shanahan’s team. Some, like T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a former NFL receiver and Brandon Aiyuk’s personal coach, think it was too much.

While talking about it on the 95.7 The Game radio station on Tuesday, Houshmandzadeh praised Brock Purdy. But he did make sure to express that what the QB is getting is just a lot for him. The former NFLer said, “Brock Purdy is a good QB…but when [the star players around him] were hurt last year, he went 1-6 against playoff teams…When those guys play well, Purdy plays well. So is Brock Purdy the reason, or is everybody else the reason? I think he’s a good QB, but I’m not giving him what they gave him.” We agree that last year was tough for Purdy and Shanahan’s entire roster.

Still, the 49ers believe in their quarterback. After all, this young man led them to a Super Bowl when the roster was healthy. If they can stay injury-free, there’s a real chance we’ll see the Santa Clara squad make another run in 2025. And Purdy? He’ll be a big part of that. So yeah, he earned that payday, and honestly, the deal strikes a fair balance for both sides. However, per Houshmandzadeh, “I believe they did overpay for Brock Purdy. I would have given Brock Purdy $47 million a year. That would have been the most I’m giving him.”

Citing an example for this, the former WR added, “….when we need you to take over, you can’t take over. When we need you to carry us, you can’t carry us. But at one point, they said Jalen Hurts is overpaid. Now, Jalen Hurts is underpaid because he won a Super Bowl with the Eagles. If Purdy takes the 49ers to the Super Bowl and they win it, then his contract is well worth it. Until he does that, he’s overpaid.”

That’s true when we consider Purdy’s performance dipping a bit due to the absence of players like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, and Brandon Aiyuk. Last season, the QB recorded a passer rating of 96.1 with 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. However, given the fact that he is young and still the franchise single-season record holder for passing yards (4,280) and passer rating (113.0), racked up in 2023, the team believes in him.

Nevertheless, Houshmandzadeh now considers Brock Purdy overpaid. But on the other hand, his teammates, including first-round pick Mykel Williams, are happy. That’s why in another interview, the rookie exclaimed, “Thank god. We needed Brock. Brock’s the guy. I believe in Brock Purdy. He’s done it. He went to the Super Bowl. He’s shown that he can take the team to that realm, so why not pay him? Why not believe in him?” Now, that’s a good question to ask the critics who think Purdy doesn’t deserve that team-friendly deal.

Brock Purdy’s deal helped the 49ers in many ways!

Brock Purdy’s massive $265 million extension with the 49ers might sound wild at first. However, the contract structure favors the team. It looks like a six-year deal, but in reality, the Niners have a built-in exit plan if things go off track.

He will earn just over $115 million through 2027—all guaranteed. But here’s where it gets interesting: after the 2026 season, San Francisco has a choice. If Purdy’s not performing, they can cut him before April 1, 2027, and avoid paying him another $55 million for 2028. That decision would hit their cap hard, around $36 million in dead money, but it’s still a way out.

But if they hang on for one more year and cut him in 2028 instead, they’d eat $16 million in dead money but save over $41 million. So while Brock Purdy’s deal is huge, top five in total value, the Niners didn’t back themselves into a corner. They gave him a payday without putting the entire future of the franchise at risk. Impressive!