The last time a Mr. Irrelevant held the NFL world in suspense, it was… never. But that’s exactly where Brock Purdy finds himself—no longer the 262nd pick out of Iowa State, but the chess piece holding a billion-dollar franchise in check. Just two years ago, he was the emergency plan—third on the depth chart, overlooked, underestimated, a novelty footnote in a league obsessed with five-star pedigrees. Now? He’s the heartbeat of Kyle Shanahan’s offense and the unexpected face of a contract showdown that has 49ers fans refreshing their feeds like it’s fourth-and-goal in February.

But as anyone in San Francisco knows by now, there’s no such thing as a quiet offseason with this team. And just when you think the drama meter has peaked, the NFL drops a hammer. Suspensions. Cap stress. A quarterback who plays like Montana but hasn’t been paid like it. And somewhere in the background, Jed York insists, “It shouldn’t be that hard.” The truth is, the Niners’ front office might need a stiff cup of diner coffee and a playbook thicker than War and Peace this offseason. They’re knee-deep in a high-stakes poker game where the stakes aren’t just chips but the future of a franchise quarterback. Purdy, the unlikeliest of heroes since Kurt Warner bagged groceries before slinging touchdowns, sits at the center of this drama. The 49ers have been here before—think Deebo Samuel’s holdout or Nick Bosa’s contract stare-down—but this time, the table stakes are higher. Much higher.

Like a vintage Mustang stuck in neutral, negotiations between Brock Purdy and the Niners are idling. Their CEO, York, has tossed compliments like confetti, calling Purdy a top-10 quarterback and praising his chemistry with Shanahan. But as any NASCAR fan knows, pit-stop chatter doesn’t win races. The real work happens behind closed doors—and right now, those doors are sealed tighter than a mason jar.

On Thursday, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco dropped a truth bomb during his KNBR 680 appearance: “The latest is that the 49ers have made an offer. It’s kind of sitting out there.” The catch? Purdy’s camp isn’t biting. With the QB market ballooning past $50 million annually, Purdy’s agents see a number, and they’re holding firm. “I think Purdy’s camp, it feels like the market is set. The market is what it is,” Maiocco added. “They believe that he’s earned it.” Now, York’s optimism—“It shouldn’t be that hard to do”—collides with Maiocco’s reality check.

“It doesn’t sound like anything’s close,” Maiocco added. He doubled down on X, adding, “Bottom line: Purdy’s side has not accepted what the 49ers want, and the 49ers have not accepted what the other side wants.” The Niners’ history of dragged-out deals (see: Bosa’s 2023 holdout) looms large. Notably, the franchise’s legends have spoken out in favor of Purdy.

“You gotta pay him,” Joe Montana himself said on the Rich Eisen Show. “I can show you four or five guys in the league making tons of money that haven’t produced anywhere near what he’s been able to do.” According to him, the lackluster 2024 season is not Purdy’s fault alone. “They just had one of those years where guys get hurt offensively, defensively,” Montana said. “Craziness in the beginning of the year with the trade talks with [Brandon Aiyuk], and then he gets hurt. They just had one of those years you can’t wait to get behind you.” His former top receiver Jerry Rice could not agree more.

“They need to get it done now,” Rice had said on 95.7 The Game. “They don’t need any distractions this year. If you feel like Brock Purdy is the quarterback for the 49ers, get it done. Don’t let it linger into training camp and all that.” And why won’t they? Record books tell us that Purdy has already touched Montana at least once.

In January 2024, the 49ers staged a big comeback against the Detroit Lions during the NFC Championship after trailing by 17 points at halftime. Purdy was nearly flawless during the last two quarters. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown, alongwith three scrambles for 52 yards. Not to miss, all three scrambles gave the 49ers a first down. With that win, Purdy became the first quarterback in 39 years to sweep every playoff team in the conference. The last QB to do so in his conference was Montana. The 49ers legend beat every NFC playoff team in 1984. Purdy, meanwhile, remains calm in the storm.

“I’m not the kind of guy that wants to have any sort of drama associated with anything,” he told reporters in January. But drama? In the NFL? That’s like ordering a Philly cheesesteak without the grease. And even rivals are weighing in with hot takes.

Rams wideout Puka Nacua, during a Games with Names podcast appearance, threw some shade at how Purdy’s $50M price tag would impact the Niners’ Super Bowl prospects. “He seems like a smart guy. They have a chance to still be in their window, and I think if he goes for [$50 million-plus], then the [Super Bowl] window closes.” Stats back Purdy’s case. 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns, and a Super Bowl near-miss. But Nacua’s warning echoes a league-wide truth: Quarterback mega-deals capsize rosters. The Niners’ $33.5M in cap space? It’s a tightrope, not a safety net. And as if contract chaos weren’t enough…

NFL drops the hammer: 49ers lose depth lineman amid Purdy’s contract drama

The NFL suspended 49ers offensive lineman Isaac Alarcón six games for PED violations on April 16. The 26-year-old Mexican native, a practice squad journeyman via the International Player Pathway Program, now faces an uphill climb. “He got a huge opportunity, got a lot of playing time, some good, some bad,” Kyle Shanahan said after Alarcón’s preseason snaps last year. His absence won’t shake the starting lineup, but for a team craving depth, it’s another splinter in the thumb.

“The main thing was he got it on tape and got out there. And I thought he got more settled down as the game went,” Shanahan had added. However, the latest developments are anything but settling. The 49ers’ offseason feels like a dusty Western showdown: Purdy’s contract talks at high noon, Alarcón’s suspension a rattlesnake underfoot.

York’s top-10 quarterback praise rings hollow without a signed check. Meanwhile, Maiocco’s prognosis—“It’s a process”—hints at a long summer ahead. Will Purdy’s deal mirror Patrick Mahomes’ team-friendly structure, or will it strap the Niners’ salary cap like a straitjacket? As author John Steinbeck once wrote, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” For a franchise chasing its sixth Lombardi Trophy, the stakes are somewhat higher than a wheel of vintage Swiss cheese.