Chris Simms challenges Brock Purdy’s status as a Top 10 quarterback amid ongoing contract negotiations
NBC PFT's Chris Simms strongly feels the 49ers should avoid signing a $50 million per year contract for Brock Purdy.
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Chris Simms and Brock Purdy (Image via IMAGO/X)
Brock Purdy has beat the odds to establish himself as a bona fide starting quarterback in the NFL. He led the San Francisco 49ers to consecutive NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance in his first two years as a professional footballer.
Purdy’s consistency forced the 49ers to trade their first-round pick, Trey Lance. The move raised questions because, in the end, Purdy was still the last pick of the draft. That stigma stayed with him and still does, as per Cam Newton.
The 25-year-old had a chance to erase the label of ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ in 2024 when the 49ers were at their weakest since 2021. Several key starters missed games due to injuries, leaving Purdy to fend for himself. It didn’t work out. They ended the season with a 6-11 record, finishing at the bottom of the NFC West.
The season put a dent in Purdy’s CV. A sense of doubt crept into the 49ers’ hierarchy, even though publicly they showed support in giving the Pro Bowler a blockbuster new deal.
As per Matt Maiocco, the 49ers opened the contract talks at $45 million, but Brock Purdy’s agency is eyeing more. A deal worth north of $50 million was the counterproposal.
On Monday’s episode of Pro Football Talk, host and analyst Chris Simms went off against Purdy in the wake of Puka Nacua’s eye-popping suggestion.
In the league, nobody looks at Brock Purdy as a top-10 quarterback in football. Nobody. Yeah, with [Kyle] Shanahan as his OC and the 49er all-star team around him the last few years, he can look pretty good. He can look top 10ish. But we just saw last year when the 49er all-star team got injured, they went 6 and 11 and we’re talking about paying him over 50 million dollars a year?
Chris Simms said
Chris Simms wants the 49ers to trade Brock Purdy
The Niners are busy negotiating a deal. Insider Mike Silver, in a recent article, suggested that if “Purdy [shows] up on Tuesday [for spring training], it’s a sign that he and his agent believe they are very close to striking a deal. If he doesn’t, that probably indicates that some significant obstacles remain.”
Progress is a fluid word. The Niner wants to save up enough cash to pay other players, while Purdy’s agency views this as an opportunity to make their client one of the highest-paid NFL players. If both sides fail to reach a positive outcome, then they might as well consider Chris Simms’ solution.
I don’t know if this is plausible right now or where we are in the timeline, but like just where the 49ers are—would the [Pittsburgh] Steelers want Brock Purdy as their quarterback? Would they want him? It might too late in the game to make a move like that for the 49ers right now… [but] let’s just blow everything up and trade him to somebody and let’s get somebody else at quarterback for the future and build this team again.
Chris Simms suggested
Simms’s co-host Mike Florio threw Aaron Rodgers’ name in the hat. The Super Bowl winner and 4x NFL MVP is still a free agent. The Steelers are ready to wait for Rodgers, but the negotiations in Pitt have been on hold for weeks.
When I was on KNBR this morning, I was asked about Brock Purdy’s contract negotiations. Bottom line: Purdy’s side has not accepted what the 49ers want, and the 49ers have not accepted what the other side wants. That’s how negotiations work. In other words, nothing has changed.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) April 17, 2025
In his most recent media appearance, Rodgers revealed that money has never been the issue. He will gladly play for a $10 million per year contract.
If the 49ers are convinced that Brock Purdy is their guy for the next four years, then pay him $50 million; otherwise, bringing Rodgers in as a one- or maybe even two-year bridge quarterback isn’t a bad move on paper.
An alternative move would be to trade Purdy to the Steelers or the New Orleans Saints and draft a quarterback in the second or third round. Mac Jones, whom they recently signed, can take over as the starter for a couple of years. After his tenure ends, they can move in for draft capital and hand over the QB role to the new guy in the locker room.
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