Are the 49ers Jumping the Gun With Brock Purdy Like They did Jimmy Garoppolo?
Brock Purdy is officially the starting quarterback for the 49ers. Both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan had no issues stating that during the NFL's annual meetings.
As for Trey Lance, he is going to have to compete with Sam Darnold to be the starter while Purdy recovers from his UCL repair. Once Purdy is medically cleared, he will retake his role as the starter with Lance or Darnold as his immediate backup. Quite the turn of events from last offseason for the 49ers. Lance was the undisputed starter this time last year and now he is relegated to competing for the backup spot.
The 49ers seem to be moving on from Lance quickly all because of a limited sample size of games from Purdy. This is not the first time that the 49ers have elected to go with the quarterback who looked great in a small stretch. After the 2017 season, Jimmy Garoppolo was deemed the franchise starting quarterback and was even given a contract extension. While the 49ers had success with Garoppolo, he wasn't the quarterback he sold the 49ers on in those five games in 2017. Now it looks like history is repeating itself with Purdy being the 2023 version of Garoppolo five years ago.
Are the 49ers jumping the gun with Purdy like they did with Garoppolo?
Yes and no. Look, as unfair as it is with the upbringing and development of Lance, the right choice to make here is giving Purdy the nod as the starter. He is the clear-cut best quarterback on the roster as he proved it in the eight games that he played in. Now there are similarities to Purdy being named the starter as the 49ers did with Garoppolo long ago. Both did it in a limited sample size and there is no guarantee that they will have similar success going into the next season.
However, Purdy makes a significantly better case to be the starter than Garoppolo did in 2017. Unlike Garoppolo, who performed well in meaningless games, Purdy managed to steer the 49ers to an unbeaten streak while actually factoring into the wins. When Purdy took over, he instantly elevated the offense by giving them an explosive passing attack along with adding on an extra touchdown per game. Best part of all is that he was doing so on a playoff team fighting for seeding, so there was a ton of pressure on Purdy's shoulders. He could've faltered at any moment during that stretch, yet he never did.
Plus, it's not like the 49ers are giving Purdy this astronomical extension. Best part of all is that Purdy, in theory, is more moldable with room to ascend unlike Garoppolo who already had a slew of years of being in the NFL. I get that it was mostly spent as a backup, but it was clear early on that his ceiling was capped. Purdy at least is young with a ceiling that doesn't look like it is even close to being reached yet. The starting quarterback is justifiably Purdy. The 49ers do not want to undo the progress they are already at with him if they just go with Lance.
Again, this isn't fair at all, but Shanahan has to pick the better quarterback. So unless Lance can wow in the offseason and in games, then Purdy shall remain the starter.
