The 49ers traded for Jimmy Garoppolo to be their franchise quarterback. When they decided he wasn’t, they traded up in the 2021 draft to select Trey Lance third overall.
Lance wasn’t it either.
Instead, it was the guy the 49ers drafted with the final pick of the 2022 draft.
Brock Purdy showed the team early as a rookie that he was the best quarterback on the roster.
49ers CEO Jed York revealed a conversation he had with Kyle Shanahan after a 2022 training camp practice when the coach admitted Mr. Irrelevant was better than Garoppolo and Lance.
“He’s like, ‘I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback,’” York said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I’m like, ‘OK, what does that mean?’ He’s like, ‘Well, obviously, we’ve invested in Trey. Trey is doing a good job. We’re going to do everything that we can. We’re not going to change that, and we’re not going to change the depth chart, but I think Brock will end up being our quarterback at some point.’”
Shanahan didn’t make the move himself. Instead, it worked itself out.
Lance began the season as the starter but fractured his right ankle in Week 2, and Garoppolo fractured his foot in Week 13.
Purdy became the starter in Week 14 last season and didn’t lose until the NFC Championship Game when he injured his elbow early in the game.
“He didn’t force it,” York said of Shanahan’s quarterback decision. “You had two injuries, and that’s how Brock ended up playing. But he’s always honest. One thing that owners don’t love to hear when they’ve invested money and/or draft picks, or both, into people is that the last pick in the draft is the guy that we think is the best. That’s generally not great news, but he’s honest, and he let it play out the right way.”
Garoppolo, who the 49ers paid $121 million for six seasons, and Lance, who cost the team multiple first-round picks, no longer are in San Francisco.
Purdy recently admitted Shanahan told him during the 2023 offseason that the 49ers would attempt to sign Tom Brady. That didn’t work out, and the 49ers now are in the Super Bowl with Purdy as their quarterback.
York joked about the first game Purdy threw a pass in 2022. It came in mop-up duty in Week 7, a blowout loss to the Chiefs, when Purdy went only 4-of-9 with an interception.
“I may or may not have had some sarcastic comments for Kyle postgame,” York said. “But when Brock took over last year, I think we had a calm about us. There was a sense that nothing catches you by surprise. And again, you might not love everything that Kyle tells you, but he’s always open and honest, especially in the moment, and he’s very clear about that with me.”