Training camp is still a little ways off for the San Francisco 49ers, but it’s not too early to start thinking about which roster battles will have a big impact.
One battle may not get a ton of attention, but it could have big ramifications for the 2027 season.
If everything goes according to plan, neither Adrian Martinez nor Kurtis Rourke will have to take a snap for the Niners this season. If they have, multiple things have gone horribly wrong, because in a perfect world, no one other than Brock Purdy or Mac Jones will have to play next season.
But San Francisco is no stranger to several quarterbacks going down in one season (and one game), so the winner of the competition for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart is important.
Still, whoever wins out between Rourke and Martinez has the inside track on being the team’s backup quarterback next season since Jones is set to be a free agent.
There was a ton of speculation about Jones potentially being traded this offseason, but apparently his market never materialized, and head coach Kyle Shanahan was certainly happy to retain Jones after he filled in so nicely last season.
Martinez had to be the backup to Jones when Purdy was out with his turf-toe injury. Rourke did not play as he recovered from knee surgery, but the Niners are high on him, which is why they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Martinez only has one career NFL snap, and it was a garbage-time kneel-down last season, so it’s not as if he has a huge experience advantage over Rourke. This competition is going to come down to skill rather than pedigree, which likely gives Rourke the upper hand.
He’s got a big arm and showed it off in college, so he has to be the favorite to win that No. 3 spot, so long as he’s healthy. It matters who ends up winning that spot because we know Purdy has been injury-prone at times in his career, so it wouldn’t be a shock if whoever is the backup next season ends up having to make a few starts.
Will the Niners really be comfortable with Rourke? Does he have what it takes to reliably fill in?
We don’t know, but if he looks good in camp and in the preseason, then there’s a pretty decent chance he will be San Francisco's backup after Jones departs in free agency a little less than a year from now.Â
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