NFL Rumours: 49ers QB competition just got expotentially more hilarious

The 49ers’ quarterback rivalry just got a lot more fun as they added another quarterback to their already complicated situation.
The quarterback situation for the San Francisco 49ers last season was complicated, and now it’s even more so. The 49ers entered the 2022 season with Tre Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Brock Purdy as the starting quarterbacks.
We are now in 2023, and free agency has begun. Free agent Jimmy Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, who were without a quarterback after they released Derek Carr earlier this year.
With veteran Garoppolo gone, the 49ers are adding another young quarterback to their squad in Sam Darnold, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Darnold was selected with the New York Jets’ third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. After several unsuccessful seasons in New York, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2021 and hasn’t had much success there either. Darnold now finds himself in the 49ers, but will he start?
Who will start at quarterback for the 49ers in 2023?
Who among the 49ers to start was the question heading into last season, and will also be the question heading into this season? With their three junior quarterbacks in Lance, Purdy, and Darnold, the 49ers have a tough decision to make.
Are they going with Lance, the guy they drafted in the first round just two years ago? San Francisco seemed to have found its future when they recruited him, but now it’s up in the air.
Going with Darnold as a junior seemed unlikely; Only with him he signed a one-year contract, it seems that he will be a backup.
Does San Francisco stay with Purdy who shocked the world and took them to the NFC Championship?
Purdy had an impressive rookie season, winning all five of his regular season starts. Purdy’s passer rating of 119.4 over his five starts is the highest for a quarterback in his first five starts since Kurt Warner in 1999.
In the 49ers’ wild card game against the Seattle Seahawks, Purdy became the first rookie quarterback in the 49ers to start and win a playoff game. He completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards and scored four total touchdowns, the most by a rookie quarterback in a playoff game.
With all his success last season, it only seems fitting for the 49ers to go with Brock Purdy as their starter, but what does that mean for former Trey Lance first-round receiver? It’ll make the conversation surrounding the San Francisco quarterback controversy interesting.
The 49ers have dealt a terrible QB injury
San Francisco drafted Lance third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. In 2022, they selected Purdy with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, naming him “Mr. Cross”; However, Purdy has become far from irrelevant.
Lance is named first after the veteran Garoppolo. Lance’s season would be cut short after he suffered an injury in Week 2. Garoppolo then took over the starting position.
In the offseason, Garoppolo and the 49ers agreed to a one-year contract to keep him with the team. Garoppolo would remain the starter until he suffered a foot injury in the first quarter of a Week 13 game. The 49ers turned to the backup third-string rookie, Purdy, with no other option.
Purdy took over from Garoppolo in Week 13 and sent shock waves through the entire NFL world throughout the rest of the season. He eventually led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles. During the match, Purdy suffered an elbow injury and was replaced by substitute Josh Johnson who suffered a concussion in the same match. Then Purdy got back into the game. However, his injury left him unable to throw the ball into the field.
I think it’s safe to say that the 49ers’ quarterback is cursed in 2022.