Vernon Davis Backs Trey Lance as 49ers' Starting QB Ahead of Brock Purdy in 2023

While most of the San Francisco 49ers fanbase will spend most of the offseason debating over whether Brock Purdy or Trey Lance should be the franchise's starting quarterback next year, one of the organization's former stars made it clear where he stands.

While partaking in Super Bowl LVII festivities earlier this month, former 49er tight end Vernon Davis told TMZ Sports that he believes it should be Lance, not Purdy, who gets the Week 1 start for the 2023 season.

"I strongly believe that Trey Lance is going to be the man for the job," Davis said.

"He needs more time, and I think over time, what's going to happen, we're going to see him continue to evolve and become a great quarterback."

Despite Purdy going a perfect 5-0 over the regular season and leading San Francisco to within one game of the Super Bowl, Davis – who played 10 seasons with the 49ers – believes the organization needs to give Lance, a former first-round pick, more time.

The 49ers traded up to take Lance with the third-overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft. The 22-year-old was set to take over the starting job this past season but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Purdy, 23, was the very last selection of the 2022 draft, 262-overall, but stepped up big time after backup Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury. He threw for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and four picks in his five regular season games.

He added 569 more yards and three more touchdowns in the postseason, which was cut short after he got injured early in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Purdy's now set to undergo elbow surgery during the offseason.

If both Lance and Purdy are healthy going into training camp, the discourse over who should be the starter will rage on up to Week 1 and possibly even beyond.