Brock Purdy's Extension Puts Extra Pressure on 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan

Shanahan has to prove to ownership that he's the right coach for Purdy while he's being paid a ton of money.

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (right) and head coach Kyle Shanahan (left) look on the in second half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Last season was a disaster for the 49ers.

They had lots of injuries, but they also underperformed. They lost almost every close game they were in. They got into fights with each other on the sideline. They were a disorganized mess that should have won more than six games if they had been coached better.

And so, at the end of the season, the 49ers didn't hold Brock Purdy responsible for the down season. Instead, they rewarded him with a five-year, $265 million contract extension. Meanwhile, the 49ers did not extend Kyle Shanahan's contract. Instead, they fired two of his coordinators.

And now, Shanahan has to prove to ownership that he's the right coach for Purdy while he's being paid a ton of money. That's why The Ringer's Steve Ruiz thinks Purdy's extension puts extra pressure on Shanahan to win.

"Shanahan’s passing game will always be productive—but we haven’t seen him build a good, efficient run game when he doesn’t have a massive talent advantage," writes Ruiz. "Assuming that paying Purdy just over $50 million a season will make it more difficult—if not impossible—to build a talent-rich roster on either side of the ball, the 49ers’ future success could come down to Shanahan’s ability to scheme up a run game in a way we haven’t seen before.

"When quarterbacks sign gigantic new deals, the pressure is typically on them to produce. That will of course be somewhat the case in San Francisco, but we may have seen the floor for Purdy and the pass game last season—and that was still good enough to convince ownership to hand him the biggest deal in franchise history. Rather, this contract gives Purdy a level of job security that his head coach—and, really, any NFL head coach—will never enjoy. And instead of putting the onus on him to make sure this team succeeds, it shifts the focus onto Shanahan.

"When Shanahan said he’d like to work with Purdy for the rest of his time with the 49ers, he probably envisioned a decade-long run including multiple trips to the Super Bowl, and not a stressful few years ending with a pink slip. But both scenarios fall within the realistic range of outcomes now that the 49ers have paid their franchise quarterback. The pressure, now, sits firmly on Shanahan’s shoulders; he’ll need to find a new way to win. And if he’s unable to, it won’t be his quarterback who’s blamed."

I agree with Ruiz. If the 49ers had as much confidence in Shanahan as they do in Purdy, they would have extended Shanahan's contract as well, but they didn't. Sooner or later, he'll have to show that he can build an elite running game without Christian McCaffrey. If he can't do that, Purdy won't reach his full potential.

Pressure's on, Kyle.