Cam Ward not being scheduled for a primetime game is a rarity for No. 1 overall QB
The Titans used the No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Cam Ward. Yet, the Titans are one of only three teams not to have a primetime game.
NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling Mike North explained the league's reasoning for shutting out the Titans.
"We kind of have this adage that you play your way into primetime," North told Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. "You don't draft your way into primetime. So the Titans are one of the teams that don't currently have a national television window assigned. But that's what things like flexible scheduling are for. And if you look down the stretch for the Titans, they play San Francisco in Week 15, Kansas City in Week 16. They've got the same opportunity every other team has to play their way into a national window."
That's all well and good, but the past two No. 1 overall picks — Bryce Young with Carolina in 2023 and Caleb Williams with Chicago in 2024 — had multiple night games as rookies despite both their teams coming off 7-10 seasons.
The last No. 1 overall pick not to have a primetime game was edge rusher Myles Garrett with Cleveland in 2017.
The last quarterback drafted No. 1 overall not to have a primetime game as a rookie was Cam Newton with Carolina in 2011.
Ravens agree to terms with veteran DT John Jenkins
The Ravens agreed to terms with veteran nose tackle John Jenkins, the team announced Friday.
Jenkins, 35, will replace Michael Pierce, who retired.
Jenkins is joining his seventh different team as he enters his 13th NFL season. He spent the past two seasons with the Raiders, starting every game and totaling 107 tackles, two sacks and six pass breakups.
In 2024, Jenkins played a career-high 609 defensive snaps.
The Saints made Jenkins a third-round pick in 2013, and he also has played for the Seahawks, Bears, Giants and Dolphins.
Or were the 49ers, who reached two NFC championships and a Super Bowl berth with Purdy, built to win with any quarterback? Purdy, critics said, was the lucky beneficiary of a stacked roster and an elite play-caller in head coach Kyle Shanahan.
On Friday, the 49ers put their money where their mouth has been as they confirmed: No, not anyone can do what Purdy has done in his historic Mr. Irrelevant journey.
Brock Purdy is looking for a return trip to the Super Bowl. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Michael Zagaris via Getty Images
Purdy’s $53 million per year catapults him from a rookie deal with an average annual salary below 100 active quarterbacks to a deal bested by just seven, per OverTheCap data. Purdy's rookie deal, with one year remaining, has averaged $934,000 per year.
Miami Dolphins rookie Quinn Ewers had more guaranteed before his first snap.
And yet, for all the paydays and raises and generational money this deal does provide, it in many ways also represents a compromise — one that NFL quarterback negotiations of late seem rarely to strike.
49ers couldn't ignore Brock Purdy's résumé of 42 total starts
There are quarterbacks who would have demanded more and agents who would have insisted they "win" on more record-setting or seemingly record-setting points.
There are teams that would have guaranteed less, and a long history of executives who would have carried this to the brink of training camp — if not all the way up to the cusp of the regular-season kickoff.
The 49ers themselves have faced recent training camp holdouts from stars including edge rusher Nick Bosa, and receivers Samuel and Aiyuk. So sealing the deal in May for the most expensive member of their roster was far from a given.
But this money by Purdy is the result of a massive exceeding of expectations.
In three years, the 2021 262nd draft pick has started 36 regular-season games and won 23. Purdy has completed 67.5% of pass attempts for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He led the league in 2023 with a 7% touchdown percentage and 9.6 yards per attempt. Yards after the catch helped those metrics; but Purdy's ability to process Shanahan's system and apply it to defensive diagnoses were critical.
In six playoff games, Purdy has similarly helped his team to a 4-2 record. He’s completed 62.6% of passes for 1,343 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception. Purdy also has rushed for a touchdown and eight first downs in the playoffs.
And after the 49ers whiffed drafting Trey Lance with the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, Purdy rescued the franchise from a move that could have set its roster-building back half a decade.
Now, the 49ers recognize his contributions and even moreso the ceiling they believe he has ahead with a deal that puts him in the top-10 most expensive contracts in NFL history without breaking the bank to exceed deals agreed to in a lower salary cap market than the league's current $279.2 million clip.
The extension reflects a belief from the 49ers that Purdy can win them games and a belief from Purdy that staying with the 49ers is a win for his career.
Will the franchise continue to win on the field in Purdy’s tenure? Time will tell.
But without a holdout, without acrimonious negotiations and without the inability to fit Purdy's contract alongside those of McCaffrey, Kittle and more … on Friday, the 49ers and Purdy found yet another way to both win.