Not long ago, it seems, we were looking at 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy not only as a sure thing to get an extension to remain as the lead signal-caller for San Francisco, but to possibly challenge the record for highest-paid player in the history of the NFL.

That monetary honor currently sits with Dak Prescott of the Cowboys, at four years and $240 million. Purdy, by way of comparison, is still on his rookie contract and is slated to make a smidgen more than $1.1 million this season. He becomes extension eligible after this year.

And while Purdy still ranks No. 5 in quarterback grade at Pro Football Focus this season, at 83.2, he has put up two duds in his last four outings, and his quarterback rating (93.7) has slipped to 16th in the NFL. The injuries that have devastated the 49ers offense have been a chief cause for the drop, but Purdy led the NFL in rating last year (113.0).

If the 49ers see Purdy as having regressed to being just about an average quarterback, they might pass on giving him the big money deal so many are expecting, and instead turn to getting value out of the draft. That’s the scenario ESPN looked at in its article this week titled, “2025 NFL draft: Team fits for 10 college football prospects,” which foresees the 49ers moving on from Purdy and instead adding Quinn Ewers from Texas.

Quinn Ewers Has Struggled

Ewers is a certain talent, but he—like most projected top quarterbacks in the upcoming draft—has not had a great 2024 season.

He was injured and missed two full games, and part of another early in the year, then struggled in the first half of Texas’s loss to Georgia and followed that up with a sketchy performance in a 27-24 win over Vanderbilt, in which Ewers threw two interceptions.

There has been speculation that the specter of potential future star Arch manning behind Ewers has spooked him with the Longhorns this year. In all, Ewers has thrown for 1,389 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in six games.

49ers Might Have Options on Brock Purdy

Still, ESPN’s Steve Muench went out on a limb and stated this week that Ewers would be a “perfect fit” for the 49ers, if and when they move on from Purdy.

Wrote Muench: “Brock Purdy will be going into the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, and he may no longer be a lock to get an extension. He has struggled against man coverage, and the 49ers entered Week 8 with a 3-4 record.

“The 49ers could target the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Ewers late in the first round or even move up in the second — they have multiple Day 2 picks — to get him. Ewers has been inconsistent but would be arguably the most purely talented passer Kyle Shanahan has had since taking over as the 49ers’ coach in 2017.”

Either way, it is hard to imagine the 49ers parting ways with Purdy next offseason and making Ewers the guy from the jump. If Purdy turns things around and plays lights-out for the rest of the season, he will move back to being a sure extension candidate. If he doesn’t, the 49ers could work a short-term deal like that of the Giants’ Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract but was not guaranteed on the final two years.

Or the 49ers could just let him go and turn to Ewers. It’s possible—but a clear longshot.