49ers’ QB battle promises to deliver intrigue, one way or another

Martin Rogers

FOX Sports Insider

The drama is bubbling in San Francisco.

Few juicy National Football League storylines fail to incorporate a quarterback into the mix, and this one has three of them. It all pours spice into a plot that you could make up, but only if the writer was particularly imaginative.

The summer travails of Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are engaging enough as entertainment in their own right, a three-horse battle for the starting job where those once designated as thoroughbreds are the outsiders. Yet what is going on with the 49ers is also the ultimate example of how trying to find a franchise QB continues to be an absolute gauntlet, fraught with unpredictability and risk but still worth rolling the dice on because the reward can be so destiny-shifting.

Lance is the man with the golden sticker price, with San Francisco having thrown a treasure chest overflowing with quality draft picks in the direction of the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to move up to No. 3 and add him in 2021. It felt like an almighty swing back then, and it comes across as distinctly mightier now, considering what we know.

The upshot? 102 pass attempts in two years, five touchdowns, three interceptions, a broken ankle that ruined his 2022 season, a current trajectory trending toward being a historic draft bust and an upcoming jostle that will probably land him in no better than second position on the depth chart.

When drafted third overall in 2018 (and well ahead of both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson), Darnold cost the New York Jets a bevy of picks so that they could move up, including one the Indianapolis Colts would use to land Quenton Nelson, now one of the NFL’s best guards. The Carolina Panthers would spend significant draft capital to get Darnold away from New York, but after some early promise, that didn’t work out either, resulting in his current short-term deal in San Francisco, where Darnold hopes to rebuild his reputation.

Purdy? Well, he was the closest thing to a freebie as there is in football, having been selected as Mr. Irrelevant with the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 draft, installed on an average salary of $934,252. Furthermore, he is coming off elbow surgery and this week headed to Jacksonville for specialist rehab with QB coach Will Hewlett and orthopedic specialist Tom Gormely.

And yet it is the man from Iowa State who is considered likeliest to begin the campaign under center, given the indications made by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

“He’s right on pace,” Shanahan said earlier this month. “I think he throws three times a week. I don’t sit and watch those. It’s part of his process of getting back, and he’s continuing right on the track he’s always been on. No setbacks and it’s been very good so far.”

[Niners QB Brock Purdy to begin throwing as he takes next step in elbow rehab]

The word on the street is that Purdy is considered the more stable option, provided he can get physically right. Week 1 is still more than two months away, and the Niners front office is crossing its fingers and wishing him good karma, buoyed by the feeling that he provides the best chance of success.

“If he’s ready to play, he’ll start,” FS1’s Colin Cowherd said, on “The Herd.” “Purdy is better at ‘pumping.’ He has limitations physically, so he won’t go where he’s not supposed to go.”

49ers reportedly “fielding calls” for Trey Lance

Indeed, Purdy’s ability to keep the ball secure was a major factor when he racked up a 7-0 record after replacing the injured Jimmy Garoppolo last season.

Teams will do anything to land a franchise QB, even if it costs them north of $50 million and with the headline contract price heading toward $60 million before we know it. The best-case scenario of all is if you can get one at a lower cost for a few years, and Purdy’s deal is the bargain of all bargains.

If he sticks in the main job this year and into the future, the cost savings allow the team to fill in elite pieces around him. Aside from the QB position, the 49ers already have a fearsome collection of positional talent.

This saga, however, has not concluded. Purdy’s status as presumptive No. 1 is incumbent upon his recovery going smoothly. Any setbacks, or any hint of difficulty or inconsistency when he returns, then the other options are in play. Lance especially was said to have performed very well during mandatory minicamp.

Good, straight-up, old-fashioned QB battles over the course of a summer don’t happen quite so much anymore, which makes this one even more worthy of following.

Mr. Irrelevant seems to have the inside track but in very real terms, a starting spot is up for grabs and three hungry QB are going after it, at the position for which there is the greatest hunger of all.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

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