49ers’ Purdy collects from NFL performance pool

Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterApr 1, 2024, 02:38 PM ET
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A big pay raise for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will have to wait until next offseason, but he did earn a significant check Monday when the NFL announced its annual performance-based pay distribution.

This year, the NFL compensated players an additional $393.8 million in performance-based pay for the 2023 season. The program compensates players based on their playing time and salary levels with the intent to give additional money to players who performed beyond their contracts.

For Purdy, that resulted in an additional paycheck of $739,795, which comes out to 75.1% of the $985,000 base salary he made in 2023. The additional check ranks as the 24th largest payout this year.

That comes on the heels of a season in which Purdy set a franchise record for passing yards (4,280) and became the first Niners quarterback since Jeff Garcia in 2001 to throw 30-plus touchdown passes in a season (31) on his way to his first Pro Bowl nod.

In his second NFL season, Purdy finished fourth in Most Valuable Player voting. Because he isn’t yet eligible for a lucrative contract extension, the performance-based pay incentive was the only way for him to earn extra compensation for his performance.

That could change next year. The Niners are already preparing to pay Purdy as their franchise quarterback, team owner Jed York said at last week’s league meetings.

“I think it’s a good problem when your quarterback is one of your highest-paid guys on your team and in the league,” York said. “It’s not like Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before. … The quarterback is the most important position, not just in football but in all sports. And those guys should be paid a lot of money.”

Purdy is the only quarterback among the top 25 players on the performance-based pay distribution list, which is largely dominated by offensive linemen, as they hold seven of the top nine spots.

Former Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson tops the list with a payout of $974,613 that nearly doubled his salary after playing last season on a one-year minimum contract of $1.01 million. Simpson signed a two-year deal with the New York Jets in March in which he could earn up to $18 million.

Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship ($923,059), Buffalo Bills tackle Spencer Brown ($912,723), Cincinnati Bengals guard Cordell Volson ($905,972) and Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou ($878,167) round out the top five.