The San Francisco 49ers lost Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo and are still in contention for the top seed in the NFC.
Ever since Garoppolo went down with an injury, it has been Brock Purdy, the former Iowa State QB who was the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Purdy has not lost a start yet, and the 49ers have won nine in a row with one week left in the regular season.
So far, Purdy has thrown for 1,196 yards with 10 scores and four interceptions.
Moreover, Purdy’s play has proven an excellent point: The 49ers don’t need to pay much money for the QB position.
It’s going to be hard to justify max paying a #49ers QB in this current system. It’s a turnkey setup.
— Spotrac (@spotrac) January 2, 2023
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has built a system that has worked wonders in the Bay Area, and Purdy’s emergence shows even more that several players can slot right in.
Garoppolo was a trade candidate before returning to San Francisco to back up Lance.
Then, when Lance got injured in the second game of the year, Garoppolo was thrown right back into action.
On the season, Garoppolo threw for 2,437 yards with 16 scores and four interceptions, and he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game a year ago.
The good news is that the 49ers will be freed from Garoppolo’s contract after this season, and Lance and Purdy still have a few years left on their respective rookie deals.
With guys like Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey in town, the 49ers can focus on signing them to long-term, big-money deals instead of investing heavily in the quarterback position.
So far, it’s working.
