You ever noticed how some quarterbacks gotta move mountains just to get paid, all ’cause they didn’t get that first-round label?. That’s kinda been the deal for guys like Jake Delhomme and Marc Bulger. Delhomme wasn’t even drafted—dude went from NFL nobody to leading the Panthers to the freakin’ Super Bowl. Bulger? Well, the Rams legend was a sixth-round pick, quietly lit it up for the Rams.

But even after showing out, the league made ‘em wait to get paid. Just ‘cause they didn’t walk in with that “first-round pick” glow. Ain’t that something? But enough with the old-time days. Where does the league stand right now? Yeah, it’s still stuck in the same place. And the latest victim of this issue is none other than the 49ers QB, Brock Purdy.

Drafted as the final pick back in the 2022 NFL draft, the QB has been dubbed Mr. Irrelevant ever since, despite having the passer rating (106.0), most yards per pass attempt (9 yards per throw), and yards per completion (13 yards). Now, let’s be real—these stats are literally screaming “give that guy a contract extension.” But the 49ers front office is still silent. The reason? Well, maybe because the guy had a poor performance in the last season, or recorded 23 interceptions in the last two years, or maybe because he was the final pick in the draft.

And that’s where the sports personality Sam Betesh and radio host Damon Bruce come in. See, Sam and Damon believe that folks in the 49ers front office need to stop obsessing over where Purdy was drafted and start looking at how well he’s playing. Take Joe Montana, for instance. The 49ers legend was a late third-round pick. But still, he led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl victories.

And how can we forget the NFL GOAT Tom Brady? The Patriots picked him in the sixth round, and the result? Well, it’s well documented. TB12 won six freaking Super Bowls with the Pats and one with the Bucs. All in all, delaying Purdy’s contract extension just because he was a late draft pick doesn’t make any sense.

I mean, ever since the 25-year-old QB took the reins, he led the Niners to a couple of postseason appearances and a Super Bowl spot in just three seasons of his career. As far as his contract is concerned, the guy’s eyeing around $45 million to $50 million deal, no doubt. Maybe more. But does that really matter? Well, Sam Betesh and Damon Bruce believe that offering a massive contract to Purdy today doesn’t affect tomorrow. The reason?

See it this way: a few years ago, Patrick Mahomes signed that historic contract extension with the Chiefs. Of course, he was the highest-paid QB at that time. But now? Not even in the top 10. The same goes with Lamar Jackson. The Ravens’ QB signed a $260M deal and was considered one of the highest-paid players in the league. Fast forward to now, and we’ve Josh Allen signing that monstrous six-year $330M deal.

At the end of the day, the QB market is changing like a new movie hits the multiplexes every Friday. No wonder Damon Bruce said, “So again, the price point that Brock Purdy gets today is officially something you don’t need to worry about tomorrow.” But the big question: are Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers ready to enhance Purdy’s contract? That’s the tricky part.

Brock Purdy’s contract extension is still up in the air

“I know we want Brock to be here for a long time, and we’ll do everything we can to make that work.” That’s the 49ers owner, Jed York, fully confident about Brock Purdy’s contract extension. And he stated that during the Super Bowl week. Yeah, a couple of months ago. But there’s still no contract extension for Purdy, despite both parties wanting to work together.

In fact, the rumor mill is buzzing that the Niners have lost confidence in Purdy. Why? For starters, Kyle Shanahan and Co. signed the former first-round pick Mac Jones in free agency. Of course, picking Jones over Purdy as their QB1 doesn’t make that sense. But to make it spicier, the team’s reportedly looking to draft a QB in this year’s NFL draft. Yeah, you read that right.

According to the Sporting News analyst Bill Bender, the 49ers will probably draft Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard in the fifth round with the No. 147 overall pick. “Leonard (6’4″, 216 lbs) is a dual-threat quarterback who racked up 906 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns with the Irish last season. How effective can he be as a passer? Leonard struggled during the first half of the season but settled in with a 68.2% completion rate during Notre Dame’s run to the national championship game,” he wrote.

“He was a hot-and-cold passer at times and will need to develop more consistency to stick as a backup. Leonard could compete for the third QB spot with Tanner Mordecai on the 49ers. Working with Klay Kubiak in San Francisco would help Leonard improve those skills.” Talking about Leonard’s collegiate career, the guy recorded 7,311 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions.

That said, the head coach is well known for working with the QBs, and if the Niners really want to draft him, then Leonard could be a better option behind Purdy and Jones. However, the 49ers still need to decide Brock Purdy’s fate as the QB is about to enter the final season of his rookie deal.