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The San Francisco 49ers expressed optimism about their quarterback situation heading into the 2023 season at the Annual League Meeting this week, and while Brock Purdy appears to be the front-runner for the starting quarterback job, CEO Jed York isn’t giving up on 2021 first round draft pick Trey Lance.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday that Lance entered the 2022 season as the starting quarterback, but after suffering a season-ending ankle injury, paired with Purdy’s unsuspecting performance that took the Niners to the NFC Championship, the landscape of this offseason would be much different.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates with teammates after running for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
"We’re going to start whoever gives us the best chance to win," Shanahan said. "Brock’s a guy who’s leading that because we’ve seen him play. But he’s hurt right now, and I don’t know if we’ll have him Week 1 and I don’t know if we’ll have him in training camp. I think there’s a possibility on all that."
49ERS' KYLE SHANAHAN ADDRESSES BROCK PURDY RETURN, QUARTERBACK SITUATION: 'WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS'
But for York, Lance could still be that guy.
"I wouldn’t change anything that we’ve made about the decision with Trey," York said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "I think Trey has a chance to be great. But it’s a bonus when you get somebody at the end of the seventh round that ends up coming in and being very impactful for your team."
Quarterback Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers looks onward during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 11, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
"You can’t worry about, well, Trey hasn’t played as many games as we would’ve liked," he continued. "It’s not his fault. He got injured."
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York also noted that the rookie quarterback deals have allowed the 49ers to make aggressive moves, and despite Lance’s more costly deal, York believes it still works.
"When you look at when we drafted him, we wanted to make sure we had a young quarterback on a rookie contract that allows you to be able to say, ‘All right, Javon [Hargrave] is kind of a bonus.’"
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) is helped onto a cart during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
The 49ers gave up three first round draft picks to take Lance at the No. 3 overall pick. He signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $34.1 million contract while Purdy, "Mr. Irrelevant," signed to a four-year, $3.7 million deal.
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"Brock played eight games and won all of them and played at an extremely high level. And we’re very excited to have that level of a player as our quarterback," Shanahan said Tuesday.
"Now we believe Trey could be that, we would’ve done it last year if he stayed healthy. The good thing for him is, with Brock being hurt, he had the opportunity to try and regain that and everything."