NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Who will be the San Francisco 49ers quarterback in 2023?

By Sayre Bedinger

2023 NFL offseason: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
2023 NFL offseason: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 29, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

An absolutely outstanding 2022 season came to a crashing halt for the San Francisco 49ers in Philadelphia over the weekend. The 49ers were riding the longest winning streak of any team in the NFL leading up to Championship weekend, and unfortunately for them, the streak couldn’t land them in their second Super Bowl since the 2019 season.

Kyle Shanahan has done nothing short of miraculous work with the 49ers, reaching the NFC championship game twice with Jimmy Garoppolo as his primary quarterback, and a third time this year with Brock Purdy leading the team down the final two months of the season.

Now, it’s safe to say the 49ers have one of the most bizarre quarterback situations on their hands going into the 2023 offseason. This team seemingly has no shortage of either long-term or short-term options, but every single one of them carries a massive question mark.

Let’s dive in.

San Francisco 49ers QB conundrum in 2023 is something to monitor

Trey Lance

Trey Lance finally got his chance to lead the 49ers as their QB of the future to open up the 2022 season, but the excitement of seeing one of the most physically gifted athletes at the QB position in Kyle Shanahan’s offense was short-lived. In late September, Lance suffered a broken fibula as well as torn deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments. The expected recovery time was initially 4-6 months but it appears as though Lance suffered a setback in his road to recovery.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on December 31 that Lance had to undergo another procedure on his ankle.

Although Lance could be healthy still by OTAs, none of this is good news. Because of the pandemic shutting down the majority of his 2020 season at North Dakota State, the last time Trey Lance played any consistent, “real” football was in 2019, his redshirt freshman year with the Bison.

The talent with Lance is immense, but the season-ending injury he suffered in 2022 along with a lack of time on task? Those are major concerns going forward.

Brock Purdy

The San Francisco 49ers made Brock Purdy Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he rewarded them by becoming extremely relevant. He was in the running for NFL offensive rookie of the year after starting eight games (including playoffs) for the Niners, and racking up:

  • 1,943 yards
  • 16 TDs
  • 4 INTs
  • 66.5 completion percentage

Going into Sunday’s game against the Eagles, the 49ers had every reason to be confident that Purdy could be their guy going forward until he got injured…

Purdy suffered an elbow injury that will keep him out for a minimum of six months depending on what type of procedure he has. The unfortunate reality of Purdy’s injury is that it’s extremely common in baseball and typically comes with a surgery known as “Tommy John” surgery. That surgery usually keeps guys out an entire calendar year.

Purdy’s probably going to be doing everything he can to be back for the 2023 season, but that would seem overly optimistic at this point. When he was out there, it looked like the 49ers had found themselves a gem and possible long-term starter. The elbow injury now complicates things.

Jimmy Garoppolo

Garoppolo is slated for free agency in 2023 and it seems likely he’ll get a deal to go play elsewhere, but both he and the 49ers might also come to the realization that they are seemingly good for each other. Garoppolo went out of his way to adjust his contract so he could be back with the 49ers in 2022. He played well after Trey Lance’s injury, but then suffered an injury of his own.

Unfortunately, injuries have been so prevalent throughout Garoppolo’s NFL career. That could prevent him from getting anything but backup offers in 2023, which could prompt him to take his chances on a one-year deal to come back to the 49ers. He might have been healthy enough to play in the Super Bowl, had the 49ers made it.

Garoppolo will be healthy this offseason, he played well in 2022, and the 49ers might not want to mess around with the alternatives if they have to deal with injuries to Lance and/or Purdy in 2023.

So, who is going to be the San Francisco 49ers quarterback in 2023?

My guess, as of right now, is that the 49ers will still commit to Trey Lance, but I think they’ll also bring Garoppolo back into the fold. If Purdy opts for a procedure that “only” keeps him out six months, we could see San Francisco look to make a big QB trade during training camp for some needy team, if everyone in their stable is healthy.