Who Should The 49ers Start At Quarterback In 2023?
The San Francisco 49ers have even more quarterback controversy following their second consecutive loss in the NFC Championship Game.
Following the disastrous end to the season, the Niners have advanced to three out of the past four conference championship games and one Super Bowl with Kyle Shanahan as head coach. The 49ers have a combined record of 1-3 in those games. With the team looking to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco looks to have another quarterback dilemma between Trey Lance and Brock Purdy next season. Who should the 49ers start Week 1?
Trey Lance
The 49ers traded up for the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Trey Lance to make him the franchise quarterback in San Francisco. Lance entered the draft as one of the least experienced QBs to be drafted in the top three. Knowing that he would be a project with a tremendously high ceiling, San Francisco elected to sit him in his first season which he started two games in relief for Jimmy Garoppolo. He was named the starter this season before training camp but unfortunately suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
With the lack of reps in the past few years, it is a lot of pressure for Lance to step into the offense and command a team that is poised to win a Super Bowl. Especially after the offense regularly produced 30-point performances with the seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy.
We can at least conclude that Trey Lance is the better athlete compared to Purdy in a very small sample size. He is bigger, faster, and has a stronger arm. They have both shown a good ability to avoid pressure in the passing game, which was a fundamental difference compared to the offense when Jimmy Garoppolo was under center. But with Lance's big arm and athleticism, it would be difficult not to see the original plan the 49ers had with Lance play out.
If Lance is the starter in Week 1, it will essentially be a do-over of what they planned for at QB entering this past season. The most crucial element is durability. Lance has suffered multiple injuries the past two seasons with the 49ers and needs to play to develop properly. The Niners will hopefully enter Lance's first entire season as a starter in Year 3 of the project. He is young, but the clock is ticking with veterans on this roster that aren't getting any younger.
Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy entered this season as the NFL's final pick of the draft, and ended up being one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of sports. As the third-stringer stepping into the starting role, Purdy did more than produce the bare minimum. He upgraded the offense in a way we haven't seen in the Shanahan Era.
For the past few years, it seems the goal for the 49ers to evolve their offense and get over the hump was to upgrade from Garoppolo. The Niners ended up selecting Lance with the hopes of doing just that, but with Lance going down early in the season, we have yet to see that part of the plan play out. However, the door opened for Purdy, and he capitalized in a way nobody could have imagined.
Purdy's ability to extend plays out of the pocket and avoid pressure made Shanahan's offense more dangerous than it ever was with Garoppolo at quarterback. While Purdy doesn't have the strongest arm, he has the accuracy and the poise. He performed well on a week-to-week basis and was critical in both playoff wins this season which was a significant difference for this team compared to last season.
Purdy is young and came on late in the year, so it was a small sample size, but it is still a bigger sample size than Lance. It feels as if the 49ers may have more comfort in giving Purdy the starting nod next year, whereas Lance feels like a mysterious, high-risk, high-reward option. Then again, how can you be so bold to trade three first-round picks to draft someone but be so afraid to play him every year?
Another huge factor for the beginning of next season is Purdy's UCL injury status. It is still uncertain whether he will have his elbow surgically repaired, which would significantly impact his recovery time.
QB Option Elsewhere?
There, of course, is always the option to look for a veteran QB that can come in on day one and be the starter should Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch believe it gives them the best chance to capitalize on a championship window. However, it seems highly unlikely.
We can put the hometown kid story to rest with Tom Brady retired. Barring a situation like last season where he changes his mind out of nowhere and decides to keep playing, we have seen the greatest of all time throw his final pass in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers' name has floated around many times regarding the 49ers QB trade rumors, but this is also unlikely especially considering what it would cost to get him. He would likely cost Trey Lance, multiple draft picks, and then his massive contract at his age. No thanks.
Lamar Jackson would be attractive but extremely expensive. Jackson and the Ravens have not seen eye-to-eye during negotiations, and should they choose to franchise tag him, the 49ers could hypothetically acquire him in a trade the way the Raiders did with Davante Adams. Jackson is young and already an MVP of the league, but the dominos that would need to fall for this to happen on top of the cost feels like a pipe dream.
The quarterback position is fine for the 49ers, and it is just more of a controversy than it is a problem like some may feel it is. San Francisco has two good options under center who are both young, and it seems safe to say that Lance or Purdy will be the starter next season.
Who should start Week 1?
