Free-agent QBs 49ers could sign to back up Trey Lance, Brock Purdy

The 49ers suddenly find themselves in a position to need a veteran quarterback to help oversee Trey Lance and Brock Purdy, and these free agents may make sense.

As strange as it seems, the San Francisco 49ers may finally be able to bid farewell to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.

At least based on what head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters at the very beginning of the Niners’ offseason.

That leaves two quarterbacks under contract heading into 2023, Trey Lance and Brock Purdy, both of whom will be competing for the starting job next season but are also dealing with some notable injuries suffered last year.

Even if both were healthy, Shanahan might want to add a veteran quarterback to mentor the two young signal-callers.

San Francisco doesn’t need a high-profile name here, and it’s very possible a quarterback added in NFL free agency doesn’t even wind up making the 53-man roster in 2023, provided both Lance and Purdy are ready to go.

That said, these four veteran quarterbacks could be added to the 49ers’ offseason roster through training camp to provide that mentorship.

And they’d likely come in on the cheap, too.

49ers free-agent quarterback No. 1: Nate Sudfeld

The Niners may deter a reunion with Garoppolo, but Nate Sudfeld will be out there after spending 2021 on San Francisco’s practice squad before being re-signed entering 2022.

Purdy’s play in the preseason ultimately pushed Sudfeld off the regular-season roster, and he subsequently signed on with the Detroit Lions for a year.

Again a free agent, Sudfeld knows Shanahan’s system and was a well-respected addition by the front office during that 2022 offseason and prior to being let go.

Granted, Sudfeld might be a bit salty after the 49ers said goodbye once, but he probably won’t have too many suitors and will surely arrive on the cheap.