As the 49ers’ offseason gets underway, fans are beginning to speculate who will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2023. Two names that have been repeatedly brought up are Trey Lance and Brock Purdy, but a third has been recently suggested by San Francisco legend and Hall of Famer Joe Montana.
On the “Open Mike” podcast with The Athletic’s Mike Silver, Montana suggested that the 49ers should re-sign and give the starting job to veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. “I start Jimmy,” Montana told Silver. “How many games has Jimmy won? For the longest time, questions were out with Jimmy for a while. But the one thing he has been able to do is win games for those guys.” Montana went on to note that Garoppolo has made mistakes, but he has won a lot of games for the 49ers.
When asked during the end-of-season press conference if he sees any scenario in which the 49ers re-sign Garoppolo this offseason, coach Kyle Shanahan quickly put to rest any speculation of San Francisco reuniting with its longtime starter for a second consecutive season. However, when it comes to Garoppolo and the 49ers, it’s wise to never rule anything out.
Although Montana doesn’t mention Purdy by name in his answer, the 49ers’ seventh-round quarterback likely will battle it out with Lance for the starting nod throughout training camp. It remains to be seen if the 49ers will consider bringing back Garoppolo, but one thing is for sure – the quarterback situation in San Francisco is sure to be an interesting one to watch.
Source: www.nbcsports.com