Super Bowl LVIII features a polarizing QB matchup of polar opposites. Brock Purdy was the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and is fighting for his first ring as one of the greatest underdog stories in NFL history. Patrick Mahomes was a first-round pick and is on a GOAT trajectory, looking for his third ring at age 28.
Nothing underscores the contrast between the Super Bowl starting QBs quite like their contracts, which feature a grand canyon-sized gap. Brock Purdy is on his rookie deal which pays him $3.7 million over four years. His salary cap hit of $889,000 ranks 67th in the NFL among quarterbacks and 1,406th among all players. Patrick Mahomes is playing on an NFL-record 10-year deal worth $450 million. He has the highest salary cap in the NFL this year ($37 million).
Tale of the Bank: Super Bowl starting QBs
| Brock Purdy | Patrick Mahomes | |
|---|---|---|
Contract | 4-yr/$3.7M | 10-yr/$450M |
2023 cap hit | $889K | $37M |
2023 cap QB rank | 67th | 1st |
2023 pct of cap | 0.4% | 16.5% |
Purdy's contract is the epitome of the belief that it's easier to win championships with QBs on rookie deals.
That's because Purdy accounts for 0.4 percent of the 49ers' cap, the lowest by any QB in Super Bowl history. The old mark was 0.5 percent by Tom Brady in 2001, when the former 199th overall pick led New England to its first of many championships.
Lowest % of salary cap for Super Bowl starting QBs
Brock Purdy (2023) | 0.4% |
Tom Brady (2001) | 0.5% |
Russell Wilson (2013) | 0.6% |
Russell Wilson (2014) | 0.7% |
Jalen Hurts (2022) | 0.8% |
Purdy isn't just the best bargain in Super Bowl history, he might be the best bargain QB in NFL history. He cost the 49ers $28,000 in cap dollars per touchdown pass this year, the best rate of any QB in a season on record when prorated vs. the 2023 salary cap. He costs $74,000 per win, the second-best this century behind Dak Prescott in 2016. This is the kind of bang for your buck that has helped the 49ers thrive despite trading three first-round picks for Trey Lance two years ago. It also gives San Francisco the flexibility to surround Purdy with the best supporting cast in football that includes Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.
On the flip side, Patrick Mahomes is the exception to the rookie contract truthers out there who say it's hard to win a title once you break the bank for a QB. Well, last year Mahomes broke the "record" for the biggest slice of the salary cap (17.2 percent) by a Super Bowl-winning QB, previously held by Steve Young in 1994 (13.1 percent). Mahomes cap percentage is slightly lower this year and would slot in as the second-highest rate ever by a Super Bowl winner.
Highest % of salary cap for Super Bowl-winning QBs
Patrick Mahomes (2022) | 17.2% |
Matthew Stafford (2021) | 11.0% |
Tom Brady (2020) | 12.6% |
Patrick Mahomes (2019) | 2.4% |
Tom Brady (2018) | 12.4% |
Nick Foles (2017) | 1.0% |
Tom Brady (2016) | 8.9% |
Peyton Manning (2015) | 12.2% |
Tom Brady (2014) | 11.1% |
Russell Wilson (2013) | 0.6% |
Joe Flacco (2012) | 6.6% |
Eli Manning (2011) | 11.7% |
Aaron Rodgers (2010) | 5.4% |
Drew Brees (2009) | 8.7% |
Ben Roethlisberger (2008) | 6.9% |
Eli Manning (2007) | 9.2% |
Peyton Manning (2006) | 10.4% |
Ben Roethlisberger (2005) | 4.9% |
Tom Brady (2004) | 6.3% |
| Tom Brady (2003) | 4.4% |
| Brad Johnson (2002) | 9.6% |
| Tom Brady (2001) | 0.5% |
| Trent Dilfer (2000) | 1.6% |
| Kurt Warner (1999) | 1.3% |
| John Elway (1998) | 5.0% |
| John Elway (1997) | 5.2% |
| Brett Favre (1996) | 10.2% |
| Troy Aikman (1995) | 6.7% |
| Steve Young (1994) | 13.1% |
The Chiefs' ability to win with Mahomes' mega-deal is another testament to how special he is. He was able to evolve when the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill in 2022, and he fought through adversity again in 2023 to reach the Super Bowl.
These contracts, which are on both ends of the extreme, show there's not one way to build a winner. You can watch them clash in Super Bowl LVIII, which will be broadcast on CBS and Nickelodeon and you can stream it on Paramount+; here's how to watch.
