Week 15 wasn’t Brock Purdy’s best performance as a pro.
Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers posted only six points in a 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday during a rainy night at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers QB finished the game 14-of-31 for 142 yards and one interception. His turnover was a backbreaker late, and it was a poor throw and poor decision.
While Purdy hasn’t been the 49ers’ biggest problem in 2024, his outing in Thursday’s rainy game after bad nights in two cold-weather contests against the Packers and Bills was enough to land San Francisco’s signal caller on the NFL Panic Meter produced by the Athletic’s Mike Sando.
On the 10-point scale, Purdy and his future in San Francisco landed at a 5.5 thanks to an NFL executive who has questions about whether he’d give the QB a massive extension once he’s eligible in the offseason.
Via the Athletic:
“The new contract for Purdy (in the offseason) was a slam dunk for me until Thursday night,” an exec from another team said. “What I saw was a guy who was so limited physically that, I’m not saying I don’t want him, it’s just the first time I’ve said, ‘Hmmm, he can’t make those throws.’”
Perhaps it was the weather. Perhaps Purdy was injured. Whatever the case, his performance changed the conversation around him for some. The next few weeks will provide more information heading into a big offseason for San Francisco. The 49ers could let Purdy play out his contract. They could draft or sign competition for him. They could re-sign him to any number of deals. It’s easier to envision more options than what seemed like the obvious one for a long time.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini on Saturday reported Purdy is still in the 49ers’ long-term plans under center, but he may have to prove himself worthy of an extension in the $55 million range over the next few weeks.
How his contract shakes out will shape the entire next era of football in the Bay Area.