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It is usually pretty easy to determine whether an NFL team has a franchise quarterback on its roster. Every year, there always seem to be a handful of teams who are in dire need of a franchise-level signal caller, but they cannot seem to get off the quarterback carousel.
Landing one franchise quarterback is hard enough, but in the case of the San Francisco 49ers, Kyle Shanahan believes they have multiple "franchise-like" players at the position.
Shanahan said that he thinks the trio of Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are all more than capable.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
"I do believe we have three quarterbacks talent-wise who are all capable of being franchise-like quarterbacks," Shanahan said on Thursday, according to The Athletic.
"Brock’s done that in his eight [games]. And we have two other guys on our roster who we strongly believe can do that also."
It remains unclear who will be under center when San Francisco takes the field for their Week 1 game against the Steelers. Brock Purdy is likely the leading candidate, however, his health will be a factor as he continues to recover from a UCL surgery.
49ers general manager John Lynch previously said that Purdy "earned that right to be the guy"
Purdy, a seventh-round draft pick in 2022, was thrust into the starting role after veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury. Garoppolo departed this offseason and signed with the Raiders.
Purdy went 5-0 down the stretch of the regular season and won two playoff games. He led the 49ers to the NFC championship game.
Trey Lance, #5, and Brock Purdy, #13 of the San Francisco 49ers, on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Dec. 15, 2022 in Seattle. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks 21-13. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Shanahan and Lynch admitted that they did hear from other teams who were interested in trading for Lance. Earlier this offseason, the 49ers added veteran quarterback Darnold to the roster. He was drafted by the Jets in the first round in 2018 and spent the past two seasons with the Panthers.
Darnold has started 55 games in the NFL.
Shanahan added that In his estimation that Lance, who was the No. 3 overall draft pick In 2021, would "gotten to a level where he would’ve done similar stuff" to what Purdy did last season if injuries had not set him back during the past two seasons.
Trey Lance, #5 of the San Francisco 49ers, throws a pass against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on Sept. 11, 2022 in Chicago. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
"We did expect Trey Lance [to be the man for a long time] and I think that he still can be. You also don’t expect the last pick in the draft to come in and play at that level," Shanahan said.
"He missed that opp and Brock came in and did. I truly think Trey can go in and do that, but Brock’s already done it and that’s a very good thing for us to have."
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The 49ers will enter the 2023 season as the favorites to win the NFC West division and are largely expected to contend for the Super Bowl.