Cowherd: Paying Brock Purdy will transform the 49ers into the Cowboys

This week, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York remarked that the team is preparing to offer quarterback Brock Purdy a substantial deal next year. York views this as a "good problem" because it signifies that, after several setbacks, the 49ers have finally identified their franchise signal-caller.

"I mean, it's what the market is," York said at the NFL owners meetings. "It's not like Brock is going to ask for something that no one has ever asked for before. You have, I don't know how many players making over $40 million as a quarterback right now."

York added, "And whether I like it or not, that's what the market is, and you have to accept the reality of the world. And to me, the quarterback is the most important position, not just in football, but in all sports, and those guys should be paid a lot."

FS1 host Colin Cowherd isn't declaring that Purdy isn't worthy of a massive contract. However, he asserts that the impact on the rest of the roster will be substantial, a notion that most have already assumed. Purdy, slated to earn under $1 million in base salary this year, will soon command a significant portion of the team's salary cap.

Cowherd argues that the 49ers are contenders right now largely due to their minimal investment in the quarterback position, allowing them to stock talent everywhere else. Once this dynamic shifts, Cowherd suggests the 49ers will resemble the Dallas Cowboys.

"The Niners are at a very fragile point, and I'm not sure they understand it," Cowherd states. "The fact that Brock Purdy is cheap, slash free, allows a stacked roster, and they've missed badly on enough draft picks [that] they're actually perilously thin."

Cowherd points to Trey Lance, Javon Kinlaw, other draft whiffs, and an inconsistent offensive line to support his argument.

"I'm not saying if you pay Brock Purdy, it's going to come tumbling down like a Jenga game, but it's going to look a lot like the Cowboys," Cowherd continued. "Very, very thin, and about the time January hits, you don't really match up with a Kansas City, a Baltimore, a Buffalo, maybe a Detroit and a Green Bay going forward.

"You don't quite have the pieces. You know, you lost that one receiver, your tight end is banged up, Trent Williams can't play. That's the Cowboys—three or four great players and really, really thin after that."

You can listen to the entire commentary below.