Money changes people. Kyle Shanahan doesn't need it to change his quarterback.
The San Francisco 49ers coach said that Brock Purdy's massive payday this offseason shouldn't alter how the QB approaches his leadership role.
"I want him to be the leader he's always been," Shanahan said on Thursday, via the team's official transcript. "There's no worse thing to do than ask people to do something extra just because of their contract. That's when you start making stuff up. Brock's earned his contract, and he's going to earn what he gets going forward."
The question comes on the heels of tight end George Kittle saying that he's noticed a more vocal Purdy this offseason.
Shanahan was asked if he'd seen Purdy become a more vociferous leader this offseason.
"No, I haven't noticed," he said.
Coaches and players may have different perspectives on what a big contract means. In the locker room, it can provide the quarterback with the freedom to lead more confidently, whereas the coaching staff already viewed Purdy in a certain light even before the payday.
Shanahan noted that he congratulated Purdy on his new contract over the phone, and the two haven't discussed it since. He knows the money won't change his quarterback's personality.
"When I see him in person, it's not something we think about," he said. "It was just that day, it was congratulations and you know, Brock, he's been the same since day one and I think that's, you like to say that about a lot of people and we're never lying up here or anything, but Brock is as much like that as not any football player I've met, but any person I've met."
Shanahan's message seems aimed at ensuring that Purdy doesn't feel any added pressure after inking a $265 million contract. The Niners simply need the quarterback to be the player who led them to an NFC title in 2023 -- just with significantly more funds in his bank account.
