The 49ers have been planning for this, restructuring contracts and making other moves to create $32.7 million in salary cap space, the sixth-highest amount in the NFL, according to OverTheCap.com. Much of that money will likely be rolled into 2025, as the 49ers regularly do, to help with future deals, including Purdy's. That's assuming the team can manage any additional in-season expenses.
Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars recently tied Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals as the highest-paid player in the league, both averaging $55 million annually. Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys is expected to surpass that mark next offseason. The extent of this increase remains uncertain, but all of this is certainly good news for Purdy's financial future.
With quarterback salaries approaching $60 million annually, there has been some low-level discussion among some NFL owners about implementing a separate cap for the position.
"There certainly has been discussion within the league, among certain owners, about even the idea of a quarterback cap, that at some point, you want quarterback numbers to not go over a certain percentage of your salary cap," NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero recently told Rich Eisen. "To my knowledge, that really hasn't gained traction, in part because so many teams have paid their quarterbacks.
"And if you went to suddenly an NBA model, where all of a sudden you have the max and the super-max, and there's really only a couple levels that guys can get paid at, it kind of changes the dynamics in terms of how you set yourself up salary cap-wise and whatnot."
Pelissero echoed the sentiment of many around the league, questioning Lawrence's contract given his inconsistent play. Is he genuinely worthy of a salary equal to Burrow's?
"It does give some people pause, but it's also a reflection that the quarterback market, like the salary cap, is going to continue to go up," Pelissero continued. "So the longer you wait, the higher these numbers are probably going to be, absent ... some team convincing a player to take a sub-market deal, which is really hard to do in 2024."
What do you think? Should there be a cap on quarterback salaries or even a single-player cap? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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