SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In a stroke of excellent news for the 49ers, quarterback Brock Purdy reported to the start of the team’s voluntary offseason program Tuesday.
So even though Purdy’s representation is still embroiled in negotiations with the 49ers for a new contract, the quarterback is taking the opposite approach of teammates who’ve recently signed for big money. Defensive end Nick Bosa and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, for example, both skipped voluntary offseason programs as they negotiated with the 49ers in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
“That’s Brock,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said Tuesday. “He’s a pro. Brock’s very clear minded and not going to let other people influence what he should be doing. That’s one thing everybody respects about Brock.”
Lynch again repeated that he’s “looking forward to having [Purdy] as our quarterback for a long time.” He also said there’ve been “some substantive talks that have [negotiations] going in a good direction.”
Phase I of the offseason program, during which activities are limited to meetings and conditioning work, formally began Tuesday. Lynch said nearly every 49ers player, including linebacker Fred Warner, running back Christian McCaffrey (who said he’s a full-go participant after battling through multiple 2024 injuries), and left tackle Trent Williams reported — even though this phase of the offseason isn’t mandatory.
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“We’re excited about that,” Lynch said. “We need that togetherness. We need that shared sacrifice.”
Warner is interested in signing an extension with the 49ers but has two years left on his existing contract. On Tuesday, Warner said he’s happy with his current compensation — the 49ers will pay the linebacker about $22 million this season — and plans to be with the team through the offseason program.
“I’m looking forward to having everybody back and building this thing up from ground zero,” Warner said. “We got a long road ahead of us.”
George Kittle is the 49ers’ only publicly known absence at this point, though the star tight end’s situation might not even be contract-related. In past years, Kittle has typically not reported to the facility until Phases II or III, both of which actually feature on-field work. The 49ers can’t conduct any 11-on-11 drills until May’s Phase III, commonly referred to as OTAs (organized team activities).
Like Purdy, Kittle is entering the final year of his contract and would like a new deal before the 2025 season starts. Kittle is the NFL’s top tight end and presumably would like a potential new contract to reflect that. He’s slated to play 2025 for about $15 million, which falls short of a newly minted deal for Arizona tight end Trey McBride. That one is worth $19 million annually, so Kittle — who played arguably his best season at 31 years old in 2024 — appears poised to crack the $20 million mark.
Even that record-setting price could be a bargain rate for the 49ers relative to Kittle’s production. Consider that the top of the wide receiver market has now exceeded $40 million annually with the new deal between Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals. Because Kittle blocks better than any receiver and delivers premium efficiency in the pass game (his 2.62 yards per route run in 2024 would’ve ranked third among qualifying wideouts), one could argue that new deal worth $20 million annually would mark a massive discount relative to what top pass-catchers earn.
Lynch expressed little worry about Kittle’s contractual situation, emphasizing that this portion of the offseason is voluntary before saying that the 49ers have had “good communication” with the tight end’s representatives.
Kittle, who has a training facility on his property just outside of Nashville, hosted Purdy in Tennessee last week.
That came just as the 49ers welcomed 30 college prospects to Santa Clara ahead of this weekend’s NFL Draft, which was the main topic of conversation Tuesday.
Lynch, understandably, avoids divulging the 49ers’ plans during his customary pre-draft press conference. But he did note that the 49ers have deemed that this year’s class features 200 draftable players — up from 170 last year — and that the team awarded 20 first-round grades this season. In 2023 and 2024, the 49ers had 15 and 23 players, respectively, tagged with first-round grades.
That data corroborates the notion that this draft features more quality mid-tier players — critical in the construction of large NFL rosters — than elite talent. The 49ers believe they can leverage their league-high 11 picks to capitalize.
Although the 49ers are interested in trading back from their first pick at No. 11 to accumulate even more draft capital, Lynch believes there probably won’t be a chance to do so.
“I feel like there’s a lot of people trying to [trade back],” Lynch said. “Generally, each time everyone is trying to do the same thing, there isn’t a lot of opportunity.”
Through the spring scouting process, the 49ers have seemed particularly interested in defensive linemen — which is precisely where their roster currently has its biggest holes. Asked about the trait that the 49ers value most at defensive end, Lynch said “the ability to set a firm edge” against the run tops the list. That suggests that the 49ers may prefer a bigger-bodied edge rusher — Georgia’s Mykel Williams and Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart are first-round prospects who fit that mold and who visited the 49ers — if they intend to target that specific position at No. 11.
Both of those players, however — and especially Stewart — weren’t particularly dominant on the stat sheet in college. Stewart, who posted elite athletic metrics at the NFL Scouting Combine, managed only 1.5 sacks per season.
“You end up struggling when you project too much, because these guys have had ample time [to produce statistically in college],” Lynch said. “At some point, the production doesn’t lie.”
Could Lynch have been referring to Stewart when he preached the importance of college production on Tuesday, or was the GM simply blowing as much smoke as possible to conceal the 49ers’ true intentions?
We won’t have firm answers until Thursday. Until then, speculation will roar. Only this reminder — an important one amidst the current sea of rumors and mock drafts — is certain: The famously unpredictable draft will again be an unpredictable event, and the 49ers are bracing for that.
“You can have all the plans in the world, but a draft is going to break out,” Lynch said. “A bunch of different things are going to happen.”