49ers Rumors: Sam Darnold Named QB2 Behind Brock Purdy; Trey Lance Future Uncertain

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The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly named Sam Darnold the backup to starting quarterback Brock Purdy, putting Trey Lance’s future “in some doubt.”

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the news Wednesday.

The 26-year-old won the job over the 2021 No. 3 overall draft pick after being signed by the Niners in the offseason, ostensibly as an insurance policy after he failed to hold down starting gigs with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. He’s just 21-34 as a starter in his career with 61 touchdowns, 55 interceptions and a 59.7 completion percentage.

Darnold beating out Lance is something that has been rumored all offseason.

There were reports in April that Darnold could push Lance for snaps early in the season while Purdy recovered from a torn ulnar collateral ligament suffered in a blowout loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Still, Purdy was always the presumed starter and held that position all offseason. The 23-year-old was a seventh-round pick by the Niners ahead of the 2022 season and was expected to serve as the backup behind both Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. But the former suffered a season-ending fibula fracture with ligament damage in his ankle in Week 2 and the latter suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 13.

That left Purdy at the helm, and he responded by throwing for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions, completing 67.1 percent of his passes. The Niners went 5-0 in his regular-season starts and reached the NFC Championship Game, where they were dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles in a contest that saw both Purdy and backup Josh Johnson knocked out with injuries.

But Purdy’s strong play made him the front-runner to win the starting job. Even general manager John Lynch confirmed that the Iowa State product was the favorite heading into the quarterback competition.

“I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he’s probably the leader in the clubhouse [to be the starter],” Lynch told reporters in late March. “I’ll let [head coach Kyle Shanahan] make those kinds of decisions but I know when we talk, Brock has probably earned that right to be the guy. If we were to line up, he’d probably take that first snap.”

Still, Lance was expected to win the job if Purdy faltered, not Darnold.

In his career, Lance has thrown for 797 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, completing just 54.9 percent of his passes. He’s also rushed for 235 yards and a score, and the Niners are 2-2 in his starts.

The fact that Lance couldn’t even beat out Darnold for the backup gig is the clearest signal yet San Francisco has no long-term plan for him.

A trade at some point is now all but inevitable. For the time being, though, San Francisco is Purdy’s team with Darnold waiting in the wings.