Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers invested a lot to acquire quarterback
Trey Lance. The team is unlikely to admit any wrongdoing there. Not yet, at least. That's not to say that Lance can't develop into a competent starter for the Bay Area squad. The team obviously believes that to be possible, having decided he was the Week 1 starter early last offseason.
Circumstances have changed, though.
Brock Purdy has taken the NFL by storm, surprising even those who drafted him with the No. 262 overall pick. Lance went down in Week 2, elevating
Jimmy Garoppolo into the starting role. That lasted until Week 13 when Garoppolo went down with a broken foot.
Enter Brock Purdy and the birth of a continuously accelerating hype train.
Some expected the rookie quarterback to eventually stumble after taking over. That moment never came. Instead, Purdy extended the 49ers' win streak to 11 games, including last weekend's Wild Card playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
"Did we know it would go as well as it has?
Absolutely not," general manager John Lynch admitted in December, after Purdy's first start, a win against
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Purdy has excelled. And that leaves the 49ers in a tough spot—at least perceptually. On the one hand, they invested the draft capital equivelant of a fortune in Lance. But, on the other hand, it would be tough to move away from Purdy.
Of course, that is a decision for this offseason. San Francisco is laser-focused on the Dallas Cowboys, their next playoff opponent. The quarterback situation, and any potential battle between Purdy and Lance, is an afterthought.
If what one NFL reporter hears is correct, that battle may already be over.
"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," wrote Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers may still decide to stage a quarterback battle this offseason, declaring trust in both young players throughout. However, Silver, and many others, believe Purdy has done enough in his rookie showing to prove he belongs. He has the trust of his teammates and, more importantly, his head coach, who also happens to be the 49ers' offensive play-caller.
"You may hear protestations in the coming months that such a proclamation is premature, perhaps in an effort to drive up Trey Lance's trade value," Silver wrote. "If so, don't believe the noise. Purdy, even if he throws 12 interceptions Sunday, is the 49ers' quarterback of the present and future."
What does that mean for Lance? No matter their order on the depth chart, having two quarterbacks you believe in on rookie contracts is a blessing, even if the higher-priced one becomes the backup. The 49ers won't be recouping the draft capital spent, which included multiple first-round picks, to acquire Lance, so they might as well hold onto the young quarterback and see what happens. After all, this season has proven you can never have a surplus of talent at the position.
Trading Lance would be admitting to significant mismanagement of resources. Based on conversations around the league, Silver speculates that the Niners would be unable to net more than a third-round selection for the former No. 3 overall pick. Perhaps more.
"A former NFL general manager and current personnel executive told Pro Football Network that
the price he'd be willing to pay for Lance is a second-round pick 'and something else,'" wrote PFN's Adam H. Beasley.
Would even that be enough to intrigue the 49ers? Instead, they might prefer to wait and see how everything plays out. After all, they have learned that the NFL is full of surprises.
It could be six months. It could be eight months. The San Francisco 49ers don't have a clear picture right now regarding quarterback Brock Purdy's recovery timeline. They will have a better idea in June, though. That's when the second-year quarterback will begin throwing again and ramping up his workload for the remaining portion of his rehabilitation.
Purdy underwent surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury suffered on January 29 in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"He won't be able to do anything on the field for—who knows?" head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday morning from the NFL owners'
Brock Purdy can begin throwing again sometime in June. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is expected to be ready to hit the field—practice or in-game—sometime in September.
Purdy is recovering from surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He hasn't been seen since the surgery, with his last public appearance taking place In Arizona, during the week leading to the Super Bowl.
One fan spotted Purdy, though, getting a photo with the 49ers quarterback (h/t TheSFNiners). As expected, Purdy is wearing a massive brace on his throwing arm,
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, speaking with reporters at the owners' meetings in Arizona on Monday morning, made it clear where Brock Purdy sits in the team's quarterback depth chart. Purdy, recovering from surgery on March 10, has earned the right to the top spot.
"I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse at that," Lynch said. "I'll let [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] make those kind of decisions, but I know, when we talk, I think Brock's probably earned that right to be the guy. If we were to line up, he'd probably take that first snap."
Of course, Lynch clarified that all quarterbacks—Purdy, Trey Lance, and Sam Darnold—will compete for the 49ers' starting job. However,
49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to the 49ers beat writers at the NFL owners' meetings yesterday. Lynch discussed Purdy's health and whether he would be the starter when ready to play. He stated, "I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse. Brock's earned that right to be that guy if we line up to take that first snap."
Not many would argue that Purdy shouldn't be the starting quarterback after his phenomenal season during his rookie year. Purdy finished the season with 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, four interceptions, and completed 67.1 percent of his passes.
He was even more impressive in the playoffs with 569 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, and completed 65.1 percent of his passes.
