When I was a boy, a friend of my parents was a man named Mark McCormick. You probably don't recognize the name, but Mark McCormick was the first big-time sports agent. His first client was Arnold Palmer. Then he added Jack Nicklaus. By the time I was in high school, his firm, IMG, was the most important sports agency in the country. I was a tennis player in high school and college, and I am confident that if I had wanted to enter that business, I could have landed a job. But to rise through the ranks, you need a law degree, and none of that life appealed to me at the time.
If I were an agent today—if I were Brock Purdy's agent—I would begin with the following advice: do not think about the 49ers; do not think about the fans or your agent. Sit down with your wife and decide what your long-term goals are. Then we can get to work.
My guess is they would want three things: money, health, and championships.
Brock is in an unusual position. Starting quarterbacks are usually high draft picks. If they are 1st rounders, the team has a 5th-year option to play with. Late-round picks rarely play, let alone start, on their first contracts. They can usually be signed to reasonable extensions if the organization thinks they have promise. Brock does not fit those paradigms. He is also sitting down at the negotiating table with only a few weeks before the draft.
Reports for what his agent is asking and what the 49ers are offering are purely speculation at this point. One can guess that Kyle Strongin, Brock's agent, has put something somewhere in the upper $50 million per year on the table, and the 49ers are at least as low as the low 50s.
If I were Brock's agent, I would take two numbers to the 49ers before the draft. One would be the floor for negotiations, let's say $52 million. The high would be $58 million. The message would be simple: we are going to see how committed you are to Brock in the draft. How important to you is protecting him? If it's a clear priority, we will start lower in the range. If you do not draft anyone you expect to start right away, we will have to raise that floor because Brock's health is not a priority to you.
If the Niners drafted a few people who would improve his pass protection, once we were at the table again, when the Niners made their offer on the low end, I would ask, "What is Brock going to get for that $4 million dollars per year you want him to give up? In a few years, his outstanding right guard, Dominick Puni, is going to be looking for an extension. Is Brock's money going to keep his protection intact or go to a back-up corner and back-up linebacker?"
The agent needs to ask pointed questions. He needs to demand direct answers. Reports have always been that GM John Lynch is upfront and honest. To adjust the tennis cliché, I would make sure the unpredictably bouncing ball was on the Niners' side. Agreements can be made that offer a good chance Brock gets all three of the things he wants.
