Brock Purdy is expected to miss about six months due to the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow of his throwing arm. The injury was suffered during the first quarter of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jimmy Garoppolo, recovering from the broken foot he suffered on December 4, is expected to hit free agency.
That leaves the San Francisco 49ers with Trey Lance, the quarterback they drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021. Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury on September 18, undergoing two surgeries since then, with the second taking place on December 31.
The 22-year-old quarterback figures to be completely healthy for organized team activities (OTAs) in May.
"I plan on being 100 percent far before OTAs," Lance explained to reporters on Tuesday as players cleared out their lockers in Santa Clara. "Probably about three, three-and-a-half weeks out from being totally cleared, from today. So I feel like I'm in a real good spot, so definitely planning on being 100 percent before OTAs."
Lance joked that he assumes the quarterback situation will once again be a big offseason storyline.
"I'm super excited for that," Lance said in jest. "But I'm excited to get back out there, excited to compete."