By Marvin Moore August 22, 2023
The writing was on the wall for Trey Lance in March when the San Francisco 49ers signed free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, who won the starting job over Jimmy Garoppolo a year ago, was no longer in the organization’s long-term plans.
The 49ers surrendered their first-round picks in 2021, 2022, 2023, and their third-round pick in 2022 to move up in the draft to select Lance two years ago. The two-time FCS championship quarterback appeared in only two games last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Not many high draft picks get dumped so quickly without getting an opportunity to prove themselves.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has an infatuation with drop-back passers. He reached Super Bowl LIV with Garoppolo in 2019 but didn’t have enough offensive firepower in a 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo threw for 219 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions and finished with a 69.2 passer rating.
The final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, will be the 49ers’ starting quarterback this season. The Iowa State product threw 13 touchdowns and four picks in nine games last year before suffering a right elbow injury in the NFC Championship game. But even in Shanahan’s quarterback-friendly system, the jury remains out on Purdy and why 261 players were drafted ahead of him.
The top seventh-round quarterbacks in NFL history are a Who’s Who of journeyman signal-callers like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Cassel, Gus Frerotte, Matt Flynn, Trevor Siemian, and Pat Haden, to name just a few. Although Fitzpatrick had some memorable games as a gunslinger, none of these late-round picks were franchise quarterbacks.
Flynn threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns in the final game of the 2011 season and parlayed that one-game performance into a three-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks worth $20.5 million, with $9 million guaranteed. However, a rookie quarterback named Russell Wilson beat out Flynn for the starting job.
For some reason, Shanahan has an affinity for injury-prone field generals. Garoppolo missed most of the 2018, 2020, and 2022 campaigns due to various ailments, and Purdy started just five games before going down with a season-ending injury.
Shanahan has a career record of 58-49 and has finished third or fourth in the NFC West in four of his six seasons. He has benefited from the work of defensive coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans, who both earned head coaching jobs. The 49ers won 13 games last year, but even in a weak division, San Francisco will be lucky to win 10 games with an unimpressive quarterback room led by Purdy.
The 49ers were fortunate to advance to the NFC Championship game last year. The Dallas Cowboys limited Purdy to 214 passing yards and no touchdowns but lost the game due to a pair of interceptions from Dak Prescott. Mr. Irrelevant is not a franchise-caliber quarterback, and San Francisco fans will suffer for Shanahan’s decision to build an offense around a one-hit-wonder.
When, not if, Purdy is benched or injured this season, San Francisco will put their playoff hopes in the hands of Darnold. The former third-overall pick was a bust with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers and has almost as many career interceptions (55) as touchdown passes (61). Even with one of the league’s top-ranked defensive units, Darnold will not lead any team to postseason success.
Darnold was given 38 starts by the Jets and started 17 games for the Panthers since he was a top-3 pick. That’s normal. But Lance, who lost his starting job because of injury, only got the chance to start four games. That’s just not right. The 2023 season will prove if Shanahan’s quick detour from Lance to Purdy was a wise decision or a colossal mistake.
Lance threw for 192 yards and rushed for 89 in his first NFL start as a rookie. The 23-year-old dual-threat playmaker started only 17 games at the collegiate level yet won San Francisco’s starting gig over Garoppolo with just 71 NFL pass attempts under his belt. Neither Purdy nor Darnold has Lance’s talent, and a change of scenery is in his best interest.
The NFL is a business and is full of personal biases. But the 49ers dropped the ball on Lance, which will be evident once the talented youngster can showcase his skills. But when Purdy and Darnold fail, and they will, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch need to be held accountable.
