Since Brock Purdy has taken over as the starting quarterback of the 49ers, the team is an undefeated 6–0, with seven wins when including the game Purdy replaced an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. In those seven games, Purdy has 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions, with a completion percentage over 60% in each game.
Entering the offseason, San Francisco will once again have a decision to make at quarterback, as Garoppolo hits free agency and Trey Lance returns from injury. However, the decision may have already been made.
Michael Silver reports from two sources that Purdy has already “won” the quarterback battle with Lance for the 2023 season. That is despite the massive draft capital San Francisco used to acquire Lance, a 2021 first-rounder plus two more future first-round picks in a trade with the Dolphins, as opposed to taking Purdy with the last pick of the 2022 draft.
According to Silver, coach Kyle Shanahan trusts Purdy more than Lance and that is unlikely to change as the team goes through its offseason programs. Additionally, Silver mentioned that Purdy’s ascendance makes it less likely the 49ers go after Tom Brady in free agency.
The 49ers drafted Lance with the No. 3 pick in 2021 with the idea in mind to sit him year one and start him in 2022. However, a foot injury in week two ended Lance’s season, paving the way for Garoppolo, who was already expected to leave the team in the offseason.
When Garoppolo was injured, no one expected Purdy to excel, but he has and it puts the 49ers in a predicament. If Purdy can keep winning games, potentially bringing San Francisco their first Super Bowl win since the 1990s, the decision probably gets easier.
