Who is the Ideal Starting Quarterback for the 49ers in 2023?

Brock Purdy is in the lead as the 49ers' starting quarterback in 2023.

However, the starting quarterback for the 49ers can play out in many different ways. Purdy is still on the mend, which opens the door for Trey Lance to regain his starting status. But he will have to fight for it against Sam Darnold, who also technically has a shot at being the starter. Any one of these quarterbacks can become the starter for the 49ers this year. And yet, there is one that makes for the ideal choice to become one.

So, who is the ideal starting quarterback for the 49ers in 2023?

The one that is healthy and good. It doesn't matter if that is Lance, Purdy, Darnold, or even an out-of-the-blue Tom Brady signing, as long as the starting quarterback is healthy and good, that is all that matters. The 49ers just need stability there this season and hopefully for years to come. Every year this team gets close to a Super Bowl appearance or victory, yet it is the quarterback position that has continually failed them.

In 2019, Jimmy Garoppolo took a complete backseat in the NFC championship game against the Packers and ended up being a main factor into the Super Bowl loss versus the Chiefs. Garoppolo once again was the issue in 2021 when the 49ers faced the Rams in the NFC Championship. With the run game ineffective, the Rams dared the 49ers to throw, and he could not get the job done at all. This past season, the 49ers couldn't field a healthy quarterback or keep one upright against the Eagles in the NFC championship game.

It has been a disaster for the 49ers at the position. Health always will be the hope and prayer for them. As long as the 49ers have a solid quarterback who can stay healthy, they'll always be in contention. But this season it needs to equate to more than just a solid quarterback. There needs to be some greatness in it if the 49ers hope to finally get past the final hurdle that they fail to jump over their last three playoff runs. Maybe it'll be Purdy who ends up proving to be that, or maybe Lance makes a huge adversarial comeback to prove it?

Overall, the name doesn't matter for the 49ers at quarterback so long as they are healthy and good.