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

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy finished fourth in the NFL MVP voting for the 2023 season, but you wouldn't know that based on his 2024 salary.

The 24-year-old entered the 2024 NFL season scoring peanuts compared to some of the league's other top signal-callers.

Purdy will soon benefit from his success. Mr. Irrelevant from the 2022 NFL Draft can sign a contract extension with the 49ers during the 2025 offseason. At that point, he will likely be the league's next $200 million man and one of the highest-paid quarterbacks.

Until then, Purdy will have to make do with a salary of under $1 million.

Here's what you should know about Purdy's contract and how he compares to other quarterbacks 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 as the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Below is a breakdown of the deal's basics, according to Spotrac.com.

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

Purdy will not receive a salary greater than $1 million until the final season of his rookie contract in 2025. Below is an annual breakdown of the quarterback's salary, according to Spotrac.com.

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

How much is Brock Purdy's salary in 2024?

Purdy will earn a salary of $985,000 in 2024. His cap hit is slightly higher at $1,004,252 because a prorated portion of his contract bonus ($19,252) is for the 2024 season. The starting signalman only takes up 0.39 percent of San Francisco's available cap space, according to Spotrac.com.

That makes Purdy a bargain, especially compared to what some of the NFL's highest-paid quarterbacks make.

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The Highest Paid NFL QBs

Several metrics can be used to measure the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. AAV (average annual value), total guarantees, and total contract value are the most popular among them, with AAV being the best estimate of a quarterback's annual value.

Purdy's rankings in all three categories pale in comparison to the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks, as seen below.

AAV

Purdy's current contract only pays him $934,252 in AAV. Nine of the NFL's 10 highest-paid quarterbacks earn more than $50 million with AAV.

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

Guaranteed money

Purdy's contract included $77,008 in guarantees. Five NFL quarterbacks have been guaranteed at least $200 million as part of their lucrative, long-term contract extensions.

  1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: $231 million
  2. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: $230 million
  3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: $219.01 million
  4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $218.74 million
  5. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: $200 million
  6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: $185 million
  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 contract value

The full value of Purdy's four-year contract with the 49ers is approximately $3.74 million. Patrick Mahomes' deal is worth $450 million, more than 120 times what Purdy is receiving.

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

While Purdy's $3.74 million contract is nothing to sneeze at, it certainly pales in comparison to his other highly-rated peers.

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The lowest paid NFL QBs

How cheap is Purdy's contract? According to OverTheCap.com, only three quarterbacks on an NFL team's 53-man roster make less per year than him.

Below is a look at the 10 lowest-paid active quarterbacks based on the AAV of their contracts:

  1. Tommy DeVito, New York Giants: $832,500
  2. Sam Ehlinger, Indianapolis Colts: $902,676
  3. Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears: $906,667
  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

DeVito and Bagent went undrafted in 2023, which explains why they make less than Purdy.

Meanwhile, Ehlinger was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, a year before Purdy was selected in the seventh round in 2022. The average value of rookie contracts tends to increase annually, which explains why Purdy earns slightly more than his draft counterpart.

For all intents and purposes, Purdy is grossly underpaid. His top-five MVP finish in 2023 made him one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, and he will likely be compensated as such once he is eligible.

Until then, the 49ers will continue to benefit from one of the league's most team-friendly contracts and try to win their first Super Bowl since 1995.

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