San Francisco 49ers: Is A Quarterback Controversy Brewing?

By complete accident, the San Francisco 49ers had quite the quarterback controversy last year. Youngster Trey Lance stepped in looking to be the franchise quarterback in the future, then he got hurt. Then veteran Jimmy Garoppolo stepped in to reclaim the starting role and get the Niners back on track before he ultimately would go down. Third-string quarterback and mister irrelevant Brock Purdy took over and had success until he ultimately got hurt. Garoppolo is gone but the real question remains, who is going to be the future for the 49ers?

As of writing this, the 49ers have 4 quarterbacks on their roster. Given the circumstances last year, there’s a good chance 3 out of the 4 make the roster this season. More than likely it will be Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, and Brock Purdy with Brandon Allen on the outside looking in. However, given the success that each QB had in the system last season will the team let Lance go through his growing pains should he struggle this season?

MORE NFL: 4 Teams Who Can Be Contenders In 2023?

Trey Lance is the obvious choice to start the season as the 49ers aren’t going to put their money on the bench. They have to rely on his improvement in the offseason as the safety net of Jimmy G is now gone in favor of Sam Darnold. Darnold is a capable backup but has gone through his struggles whereas Garappolo was a capable starter. With that being said, Darnold would have to take a similar leap forward in San Fran’s offense to unseat Lance as the starter.

Where the real question comes into play is, will San Francisco let Trey Lance go through his struggles at the expense of the team, or will they decide early on to pull the trigger on making the switch? Brock Purdy and Trey Lance have two different styles when running the offense. Despite both of them fitting into and having their own version of success, there has to be a clear-cut leader that puts the 49ers in the best spot to win. The Niners’ offense has proven it is built to succeed no matter who is under center, but they were pushing as Super Bowl favorites last year. There’s no guarantee they will struggle this year, but if they do how short is that leash?