Brock Purdy has his new 49ers contract — and maybe a new fishing boat

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy broke into a sheepish grin. The newly minted 49ers franchise quarterback, who on Tuesday signed a contract worth up to $265 million, wasn’t quite sure if he’d relay the recent conversation he’d had with his wife, Jenna.

But that grin quickly grew into a smile. Purdy, a quarterback famous for the simple authenticity he’s maintained during his meteoric rise from Pick No. 262 to NFL stardom, seemed to realize that there could be no better ending to his contract-christening press conference than a revelation of an upcoming expenditure.

“I was telling my wife — and she was annoyed with me — but I’d like to get a bass boat one day,” Purdy said, beaming by this point. “So that’ll be my first big purchase.”

With that, Purdy ambled away from the lectern. The microphone picked up one last chuckle as he walked. The 25-year-old, after a six-day contract whirlwind, officially moved on to the next chapter: Purdy is now tasked with leading the 49ers in their push to win a Super Bowl.

“Just the energy and all the guys’ mindset coming back to the locker room, the workouts, in the weight room, the film room — there’s a new kind of re-energized feeling around the facility,” Purdy said.

A big part of that renaissance, of course, came Friday, with news that Purdy and the 49ers had agreed to the contract. Purdy and Jenna were golfing at the Olympic Club’s Lake Course in San Francisco that afternoon with 49ers center Jake Brendel and his wife, Zan. That’s when Purdy’s agent, Kyle Strongin, called to share news of the done deal.

Strongin had been in rapid-fire contact with 49ers chief negotiators Paraag Marathe and Brian Hampton as well as general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan — Marathe, Lynch, and Shanahan were on a golf outing of their own — during the final breakthrough.

That sparked the celebration heard all the way back in Arizona, where Purdy’s family also happened to be golfing at the time. The quarterback joined them in short order.

Purdy returned to the Bay Area in time to formally sign the contract Tuesday.

This much is now confirmed: The deal gives the 49ers room to build a team around Purdy. Its annual average value is $53 million, but his 2025 salary-cap hit is only $9.1 million. That’s possible with proration techniques, which are initially rooted in a $40.1 million signing bonus. That’s significantly smaller than the signing bonuses of some comparable quarterback contracts (the Detroit Lions gave Jared Goff one worth $73 million) but Purdy’s money flow in later years makes up for that — and his early sacrifice gives the 49ers much-needed flexibility under the cap.

“We wanted to make sure we were working together with the organization to set everyone up for success,” Purdy said. “It wasn’t about me just getting as much money as I could. … I want to get what I deserve, but also surround myself with guys around me and not take every penny for myself.”

Notably, Purdy was present for Phase I of the 49ers’ offseason program last month — weeks before he had this contract. This marked a departure from recent 49ers’ big-money negotiations, which generally saw star players stay away from the facility during negotiations.

But the 49ers and Strongin were able to establish a good-faith basis early in the negotiation process, and that was critical in spurring a quick resolution. Purdy agreed to terms on May 16, more than three months before stars Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk finished their respective deals with the 49ers in recent years.

“They started with a very respectable first offer,” Purdy said. “From there, the communication with my agent was great. There was no drama involved.”

Purdy then echoed what he’d said back when this 49ers offseason began in January, citing a question that he’d asked himself to stay grounded throughout negotiations.

“How can I still be present in the locker room and love on these guys and build trust and character within the whole organization even though this contract negotiation thing is going on?” Purdy said. “I didn’t want to lose who I was throughout all the process.

“I feel like you’ve seen stories and things around the league at times where people can act uncharacteristically because they might be hearing some things, but for me, what I’ve learned is it is a business, but that doesn’t mean I have to change. I can continue to be who I am and stay true to that and have faith that it’ll get done.”

The 49ers begin Phase III of their offseason program, also known as organized team activities (OTAs), next week. Purdy said that he’ll continue zeroing in on fundamentals, which has been his working theme through this longer offseason.

Waters are calm now, but Purdy knows that the chaos of the season looms beyond the horizon. And he knows that the 49ers believe in his ability to be their rudder.

Perhaps that planned purchase of a fishing boat is fitting, considering Purdy has maintained such an even keel so far in his young professional career.

“It’s just something that I’ve learned in the NFL — there’s always going to be something that you’re going to be going through or facing and it’s never going to be perfect, it’s never going to be easy,” Purdy said. “But I know who I am, with my faith and it’s bigger than football. I think knowing that has allowed me to handle all the things that come my way, whether it’s a surgery or a contract or losing a big game. I know who I am and it just fires me up to go and defy the odds after that.”