Why Brock Purdy Should Be 49ers' Starting QB in 2023 amid Latest NFL Rumors

Brock Purdy, who became Mr Irrelevant when he was selected with the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, was not expected to play during his rookie season. After all, the 23-year-old quarterback was blocked on the San Francisco 49ers' depth chart by Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

It would take injuries to both Lance and Garoppolo for Purdy to see the field. And that's exactly what happened.

Now, Purdy is thriving in his first taste of NFL action. He went 5-0 as a starter at the end of the regular season. The Iowa State product then led the 49ers to a 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Round last week. Now, he's preparing to face the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday.

If Purdy can lead San Francisco to a Super Bowl title (which would be its first since the 1994 campaign), it's hard to imagine how he couldn't be the team's starting QB entering the 2023 season.

In fact, Purdy may have already impressed the 49ers enough to earn that job.

According to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco is planning to stick with Purdy next season. Silver heard from "two people with knowledge of the organization's plans" that "the battle is over, and Purdy has won."

"The 49ers may go through the motions of staging an offseason competition between Purdy and Lance. ... They may even decide to extend it through training camp and the preseason," Silver wrote. "Realistically, however, this is not an equal fight. Purdy has earned [head coach Kyle] Shanahan's trust and confidence in a manner that Lance has not, and practice reps and preseason performances aren't changing that."

Lance was expected to be San Francisco's future franchise QB, as the 22-year-old was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. As a rookie, he backed up Garoppolo, before being named the starter prior to the 2022 season.

However, Lance played only two games before suffering a season-ending right ankle injury. Then, the 49ers went back to Garoppolo, who started 10 games before he suffered a left foot injury.

Garoppolo shouldn't be in San Francisco's QB mix in 2023, as the 31-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and seems unlikely to return. The 49ers won't need to pay him if they have both Purdy and Lance on their roster and could always bring in a veteran who's more affordable than Garoppolo to serve as a third QB, if needed.

But as long as Purdy stays healthy, he should be the one under center in game action. So it appears San Francisco is making the wise move by planning on starting him, assuming the buzz is true.

Purdy has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of the six games he's started. He stepped up and had his best showing yet in the wild-card round, when he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score against the Seahawks.

With so many talented offensive playmakers, the 49ers need a QB who can get the ball into their hands. And that's what Purdy has been doing with running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle and others.

It's clear that Purdy is the best fit in Shanahan's offense, and he's likely to only get better as he gains experience. So it's the right call for San Francisco to go into the 2023 season with Purdy atop the QB depth chart. And that's becoming more obvious each week.