It’s been a rough season for “Mr. Relevant” and the 49ers.
No amount of players-only meetings or cold glasses of Pedialyte can cure the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl hangover this season.
It’s been a rough go of it for coach Kyle Shanahan and company, as San Francisco currently sits in last place in the NFC West after an ugly 12–6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, a game in which 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell literally quit and walked off the field in the third quarter.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy had one of the worst performances of his career in the rainy conditions at Levi’s Stadium, registering his third-worst passer rating (45.4) ever while throwing for just 142 yards and one interceptions. It was the type of ugly game that put into question Purdy’s future as the 49ers’ franchise quarterback—or at the very least, raised concerns over the value of his next contract.
Purdy, on the third year of his rookie deal, is set for a big contract extension this offseason. And despite murmurings about his value, the 49ers reportedly plan on paying Purdy this offseason.
“The team is sticking to its plan,” The Athletic’s Diana Russini wrote Saturday in her weekly column. “They’re firmly committed to Purdy as their long-term quarterback. I’ve been told the 49ers are still planning to negotiate a multiyear contract extension with Purdy this offseason, backing up the message they’ve consistently sent: ‘Purdy is our quarterback.'”
Per Spotrac, Purdy currently has a market value of a four-year deal worth $240.5 million, or an average of $60.1 million per season. That would make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL on an annual basis, just edging Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott, who earns $60 million per year.
In 13 games this season, Purdy has thrown for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, adding up to a 94.3 passer rating. It’s a far mark from his league-high 113.0 passer rating last season, but the 49ers still believe “Mr. Relevant” is still the answer under center.
Russini also reported that the 49ers won’t relieve Shanahan of his duties despite the franchise’s unexpected down year.
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Even though the 49ers are 6-8 and their season is all but dead, ownership still seems to like the direction the team’s going.
Sure, the 49ers scored just six points in a do-or-die game at home against the Rams this past Thursday night and one of their players quit mid-game. The 49ers still intend to bring back Kyle Shanahan for 2025, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
“Despite this being the Niners’ worst season since 2020, Shanahan, in his eighth season with San Francisco, isn’t going anywhere,” Russini writes. “The mutual commitment between coach and franchise remains. Ignore all the rumors. The organization fully believes in his ability to lead the team forward, even after a rough year. Call it a ‘Super Bowl runner-up hangover,’ or just a down season, but the 49ers are sticking to their plan, betting on Purdy and Shanahan and hoping the skies clear soon.”
So, they’re betting on Shanahan and hoping things change. Interesting strategy.
Before they place their bet, they might want to ask Shanahan why he featured Deebo Samuel instead of George Kittle on national television against the Rams. Kittle has been having a great year while Samuel has been terrible. Shanahan’s obsession with Samuel cost the 49ers a run to the playoffs and perhaps a Super Bowl victory last season, considering Samuel got targeted a whopping 11 times in that game and caught just three passes.
If Samuel returns to the team next season, why should we think anything will change?
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