5 quarterbacks 49ers can sign to back up Trey Lance

With Trey Lance poised to take over as the 49ers’ starting quarterback next season, Niner Noise looks at some potential options to sign as the backup.

With a painful 20-17 loss in the NFC Championship game now in the books, the San Francisco 49ers must now look to the future next season.

Incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will almost certainly be traded to provide some healthy cap relief, and Trey Lance will take over the helm.

That’s right, it’s the Lance era now for San Francisco. Lance will bring a lower floor but a higher ceiling to the position, and his play has undoubtedly improved as the 2021 season went on.

But with Lance moving up to the starting role, someone must now back him up, who won’t be Garoppolo if he’s traded on. The free agency market for a starting quarterback is exceptionally thin this offseason, but there is a bit of a market for potential backups on the way.

As Niners fans have learned a lot from previous seasons, a good backup quarterback is a must for any team. To have a chance of salvaging a season, you need someone who can take over if needed for a few games.

As Lance is a young, raw talent at the position, San Francisco would do best to bring in a veteran presence who can steer the ship if needed.

Luckily there are quite a few players who can be brought in.

Niner Noise will look at five potential candidates to back up Lance, backing up the pros and cons of bringing in that particular quarterback to the team.

Let’s take a look at the first quarterback on that particular list.