SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers began laying the path to quarterback Brock Purdy becoming the highest-paid player in franchise history roughly four years before it happened.

In the 2021 offseason, the Niners decided quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was not in their long-term plans -- just three years after they made him the league's highest paid player ($27.5 million per year).

General manager John Lynch told ESPN last week that he and coach Kyle Shanahan combed through three-year projections from executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe, assistant general manager Brian Hampton and their staffs, showing them that the quarterback market was about to explode.

The 49ers also had multiple star players heading toward position-defining contracts, which, c

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