Here’s why Brock Purdy won’t force 49ers to trade Trey Lance
By Peter Panacy
Reason No. 2: 49ers won’t have Jimmy Garoppolo anymore
Jimmy Garoppolo, a pending free agent in 2023, has little reason to entertain yet another awkward offseason with San Francisco, particularly after being the subject of trade speculation a year ago.
Sure, Brock Purdy’s rapid ascent likely points to the 49ers not needing Jimmy G anyway. However, as the 2022 Niners found out, having a quality backup in support of a starter can save a season.
Garoppolo did bail out San Francisco after Trey Lance’s Week 2 injury, after all.
That won’t be the case in 2023, though, as Garoppolo’s camp will seek a new deal on the open market in a situation where there won’t be any serious competition for a starting job. On top of that, would the 49ers be willing to re-sign Garoppolo at a cost of approximately $30-plus million per year, according to Spotrac’s analysis, only to serve as a backup to Purdy?
No. Garoppolo will be gone.
If Garoppolo walks, which he’ll likely do, that’d leave Lance and Purdy in the quarterback room. The latter, having impressed so much down the stretch, might be the favorite.
Yet Lance still has that “potential” X-factor at play, and the Niners would want to exploit that if possible.