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Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr recently ranked the San Francisco
49ers' skill-position group as the best in the NFL. When you look at the talent, names like
Christian McCaffrey,
Deebo Samuel,
George Kittle, and
Brandon Aiyuk, it's tough to argue otherwise.
There is less certainty when it comes to the quarterback position. Trey Lance entered this past season as the starter. Rookie
Brock Purdy finished the season as the frontrunner to be the guy in 2023.
Of course, Purdy is recovering from the March 10 surgery to repair the UCL tear he suffered in the NFC Championship Game, an injury that will likely sideline him until sometime in September.
That leaves Lance with a significant opportunity to impress his coaches this offseason and narrow the gap between Purdy and himself.
It'll be an uphill battle, for sure, and he has to compete with veteran Sam Darnold now.
If Purdy were healthy, there wouldn't be much of a debate. He showed enough to end the season to prove he can play in the NFL and that the 49ers can win with him under center. However, Orr believes it may be Lance, not Purdy, who can elevate head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense to another level.
"[B]y the end of next year, let's say more than half of the league is going to be running this offense, right?" Orr recently explained on the
49ers Webzone No Huddle Podcast. "In some way, shape, or form, right? I think we're at like 40 percent, the last time that I checked.
"But none of those teams that run it—and again, correct me if I'm wrong—have a mobile quarterback. I don't know if I'm missing anybody or if I'm maybe underplaying somebody's athleticism, but when half the league is running an offense, and 100 percent of the defensive coordinators are spending their entire offseason preparing for basically the outer reaches of what that system can do, Trey Lance is the one guy that can blow that whole thing up."
Orr added, "Brock Purdy can't."
While Purdy has shown enough mobility to get himself out of some tough situations, Lance is clearly the more athletic option, providing Shanahan with an added dynamic to his offense.
Lance just needs to stay healthy. He is coming off a season-ending ankle injury that limited him to two games in 2022. Lance struggled through injuries during his rookie campaign, too, starting only two games in 2021. That's four total starts for Lance, a quarterback whose biggest knock entering the league was his lack of experience.
An athletic Lance in Shanahan's offense might be tougher for opposing defensive coordinators to game plan against.
"Brock Purdy can follow the rules better than Trey Lance, but Trey Lance can dictate new rules," Orr added. "And so that was always my understanding of the impetus behind the pick. And whether or not they want to keep pushing in that direction, I'm not sure.
"But it's just like, to me, it makes all the sense in the world to throw all your investments behind him. And Purdy is not going anywhere. He's not costing you anything, and you're not losing him at any point. So, I don't know. I think you give it another go with Trey Lance."
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy achieved a remarkable feat in 2023, setting a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. This accomplishment is noteworthy, considering the illustrious quarterbacks who have graced the organization's history.
A significant portion of those yards came from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who amassed a career-high and team-leading 1,342 receiving yards. Most of his 75 catches originated from passes thrown by Purdy.
Amidst significant offseason chatter surrounding the 49ers' star receiver, including several unsubstantiated trade rumors, Aiyuk's future remains uncertain. Former NFL player James Jones, now an analyst, expressed concern for Purdy should Aiyuk's tenure in the Bay Area come to an end.
"I
It's evident that the San Francisco 49ers engaged in long-term financial planning. Much discussion has centered around the feasibility of the team committing significant financial resources to two wide receivers, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Some skeptics question the wisdom of such heavy investment in a single position, especially considering that the 49ers handed Samuel a substantial three-year extension merely two years ago.
Adding complexity to this debate is the impending contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy, positioning him to become the highest-paid player on the team. He will likely even become one of the NFL's highest-paid players. Where he ranks in average salary will depend upon whether he can replicate the stellar performance of his Pro Bowl 2023
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
