A recent bombshell report gave a potentially surprising picture for the San Francisco 49ers and their quarterback situation going forward. I’m not even sure script writers could come up with such a wild story.
He also noted that barring a seismic jump from Lance or a huge regression from Purdy, the Mr. Irrelevant draft pick will remain as the team’s starter. Wow. This situation is very interesting as it opens up an entirely new debate regarding their quarterback situation.
So, let’s break this down.
San Francisco acquired Jimmy Garoppolo back in 2017 and immediately gave him a contract extension. He battled through various injuries and largely performed well on the field for the team, which included a trip to the Super Bowl.
Besides his injuries, the other concern with Jimmy G was his lower ceiling. He wasn’t particularly big for the position. He doesn’t have elite mobility and his arm is nothing special. He never broke through to that “elite” status, and even with all of the wins and playoff appearances, the team still drafted Trey Lance back in 2021.
"On Thursday, I talked to two people with knowledge of the organization’s plans, and they confirmed what is already semi-obvious: The battle is over, and Purdy has won." https://t.co/UWQBI5dtcL
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 20, 2023
Lance seems to be the complete opposite of Garoppolo in that he’s got a rocket arm, elite mobility, and can have a much greater impact in the run game as a dual-threat quarterback. Lance has gotten limited action in his two years in the NFL which included suffering a season ending injury at the beginning of the 2022 season.
So then, the 49ers turned back to Garoppolo, who played some of the best football of his career, until he went down with an injury. Then, the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy stepped in, who is a lot like Garoppolo as a QB.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both Purdy and Garoppolo look very good playing in this offense, and the limited action that Lance has received does not stack up to the formers’ performances.
Maybe, a high-ceiling, dual threat quarterback like Trey Lance is not meant to thrive in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and maybe guys like Purdy and Garoppolo are perfectly fit for the 49ers’ scheme.
The San Francisco 49ers did trade multiple first round picks to have the ability to move up and select lance, and now it looks like they’re prepared to move on.