Ex-49ers teammate Ryan predicts Purdy lands shocking contract

Ex-49ers teammate Ryan predicts Purdy lands shocking contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers eventually will have to pony up and dish out another lucrative contract extension to one of their star players.

No, we're not talking about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Although that's priority No. 1 right now for general manager John Lynch and the front office.

Third-year quarterback Brock Purdy will be eligible for a contract extension next offseason, and one of his former teammates believes he will be paid handsomely.

Former 49ers safety Logan Ryan joined Keyshawn Johnson on the "All Facts No Brakes" podcast, where he was asked about Purdy and his future with the organization.

"Nah, he's here to stay. I think they're going to give him a bag, too," Ryan said. "Nah, he's going to be like one of the highest paid. People will be shocked. Like, what? You're going to be talking about that forever. But, nah, he's here to stay."

Ryan signed with the 49ers on Dec. 5, right before the team's Week 14 win over the Seattle Seahawks. It didn't take the veteran safety long to realize just how secure Purdy's job was and how much 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan believes in the young signal-caller.

"Shanahan loves him. Like, true, true. Like, I got there a week or so before we played Baltimore on Christmas," Ryan recalled. "Remember that game? And he threw four picks and a lot of those picks were tipped balls...so it's just a bad day, you know, a bad day at work. He didn't play great, but like he had three picks or whatever in the first half or third quarter. He's in the fourth quarter, still stepping in, still slinging it, like, still trying to throw the ball, trying to win the game.

"And Shanahan said, I remember in a meeting, he's like, 'I've coached a lot of quarterbacks. When quarterbacks have three or four interceptions, they're trying to check it down, protect, they protect, you know, get out of there, get out of dodge. Not trying to take no more hits.' He still stayed like kind of in his progression, but kind of had this gunfire about him. This dog about him."

Ryan, an 11-year veteran, has played against many of the NFL's top quarterbacks and came away impressed with Purdy's playmaking ability.

"And he always would ask me questions about [Tom] Brady and stuff like that," Ryan continued. "And in the playoffs, I think you saw, like, the 49ers were a team that's used to playing ahead. In the playoffs, we got behind a bunch and Purdy was coming in the second half going to get it, making plays happen with his feet, with his arm. He's got this dog ability about him on top of the processing. I think he processed like a Kirk Cousins. But he also has this dog in him, though, that I don't think people fully see, but he does it to win games over there."

It remains to be seen what Purdy's next 49ers contract might look like, but there's no doubt in Ryan's mind that his former teammate is deserving of -- and will receive -- a very lucrative contract extension.

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