Why the 49ers were able to get extensions done sooner than later this offseason

It’s been a relatively drama-free offseason for the San Francisco 49ers, especially when it came to re-signing some of their key players.

The 49ers agreed to extensions with stars Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, and George Kittle before the month of June, representing a significant change from past contract negotiations, which usually got done around the start of training camp or near the regular season.

Kittle was the first to get his deal, resetting the tight end market with a four-year, $76.4 million deal that slightly eclipsed Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. That deal was agreed to in late April after the 2025 NFL Draft, with Kittle earning $35 million in guaranteed money.

Then came the monster deal for Purdy, who got a five-year, $265 million extension that placed him among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. The hope was for a deal to come before mandatory minicamp, which was exactly the case for the 49ers.

Warner’s three-year, $63 million extension came just three days after that, ensuring that all three stars were content on new contracts by the start of Phase 2 of the offseason program.

Of course, many remember the dragged-out negotiations between the 49ers and stars Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams last offseason. Aiyuk’s deal took well into training camp, with trade rumors swirling all over the place, while Williams was signed just days before the start of the season.

What changed for the 49ers this offseason?

“The previous year, we had some stuff go into the season,” general manager John Lynch said on the 49ers Talk podcast. “That wasn’t our motivation, but it did. So, do you learn? Sure. But it takes two to tango. All three of them were willing to work with us on certain things that were important to us. And I think we worked with things that were important to them.”

“Those are three guys that we really want to be a part of our culture and our team and organization moving forward — three really important players to us.”

Purdy’s deal was the most polarizing, as the quarterback didn’t have as strong of a year as he had in 2023, while the team won six games.

Nonetheless, it was a clear priority for Lynch and the 49ers to get their franchise quarterback locked up for the future, knowing that the standard is higher going forward.

“Obviously, the quarterback position is paramount,” Lynch continued. “Brock fits us really well. It didn’t take too long. ‘Hey, is this a guy we want to roll with into the future?’ And the answer quickly was, ‘Yes.’ “We’d seen it right in front of our very eyes. And we made that decision.”

“As much commitment as we’ve shown to Brock, he’s shown that same commitment to our organization and knew it was important,” Lynch said. “We had six wins last year. Let’s not forget that. And that doesn’t sit well with anyone. It didn’t sit well with Brock. He understood we needed to take care of business.”

Of course, the commitments need to translate to Sundays. But, it’s a sign in the right direction that the 49ers are keeping their stars content with negotiations and getting deals done sooner than later, unlike in past offseasons.