27 March 2023 , 20:12
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The San Francisco 49ers have seemingly already made their decision on their future starting quarterback.
Last season, Brock Purdy shocked the NFL world with his extremely impressive performances for the Niners, coming in as the only available quarterback on the roster following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdy had not been a quarterback discussed at all throughout the 2022 draft period, and was ultimately selected with the very last pick in the draft, making him 'Mr Irrelevant'.
And coming into the season was a small chance of even making the roster with the two quarterbacks ahead of him, the Niners liked what they saw and gave him a spot on the 53-man squad before eventually having to start late in the season.
Purdy went on to win all seven of his regular season games, before impressing in playoff wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, before missing the majority of their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after being injured.
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The injury Purdy sustained (elbow UCL) is likely to see him miss training camp this off-season, with the hope being that he will return for the opening day of the season. Purdy avoided having to have Tommy John surgery - a procedure which ends a number of baseball players' careers.
Purdy will be in direct competition with Lance for the starting spot this off-season, with the Niners having a lot of stock in the latter of using three first-round picks to acquire him.
Lance has only started two games in his NFL career, and has not yet proven to be a capable starting calibre quarterback in the league, with Niners fans desperate to see him given the opportunity.
Trey Lance and Brock Purdy will compete for the starting role, but it appears the latter has a clear lead (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)After the emergence of Purdy however, that chance now may never come, with Niners general manager John Lynch admitting that he sees a clear leader for the role of QB1.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Lynch said: "I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse at that. If we were to line up, he'd probably take that first snap."
It would be a huge disappointment to Lance to see the team already relegate him to a back-up role, especially given the assets used to acquire him.
Lance was projected to be the man to use both his legs and huge arm to push the Niners over the top, but he could find himself made available for trade after the emergence rookie Purdy - with Lance's value diminishing while in a back-up role. Jimmy Garoppolo has already departed the team, becoming the Las Vegas Raiders' new starting quarterback.