Getty Image / Mike Ehrmann
The San Francisco 49ers’ season came to an end yesterday in one of the most disappointing ways possible.
The team was able to overcome multiple quarterback injuries throughout the year, but yesterday they finally got hit with one they couldn’t get past.
On the team’s first drive against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury that kept him out of most of the game.
He didn’t return until the 4th quarter when Josh Johnson had to leave the game because of a concussion and he was clearly struggling with the injury.
When he returned to the game, there was a drive where the 49ers ran the ball on every play despite being behind by 3 touchdowns with time running out in the game.
Now that the team has been eliminated in a 31-7 blowout, fans are thinking about what the future could hold for this team.
They have a couple of options at quarterback right now. They spent a ton of draft capital to move up and draft Trey Lance 3rd overall last year.
Then there’s Brock Purdy, who shocked the NFL world by winning his first 7 starts and putting himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation despite being the last pick in the 2022 draft.
Despite all of these options and the success the team found with Purdy this year, fans seem to be expecting them to sign Tom Brady for some reason.
This would be a mistake for the 49ers.
Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but he showed clear signs of decline this season. He would also be much more expensive than sticking with Purdy.
Having a starting quarterback on a rookie contract is a massive advantage in the NFL with most teams giving up huge chunks of their cap space to employ a quarterback they believe they can win with.
The way the season ended wasn’t exactly an indication that the team can’t win with Purdy. He took them to the NFC Championship Game and never got the chance to show what he could accomplish against the Eagles’ defense.
On the way to that playoff run, Purdy absolutely shredded opposing defenses, improving the 49ers offense from what they had been able to produce with Garoppolo and repeatedly topping 30 points,
The 49ers have one of the league’s most talented rosters and there might not be a team in the NFL that can match the talent they’ve surrounded their quarterback with right now.
However, it will difficult for them to keep it that way. The team has a few starters that will be heading for free agency this off-season and they have some key players who will due for extensions soon.
Nick Bosa only has the 5th year left on his rookie deal while Brandon Aiyuk and Javon Kinlaw have just one year left and their 5th-year options.
Signing Tom Brady Brady would make it more difficult for the 49ers to retain starters while extending these players and making roster improvements.
It’s also a move that would have a questionable return on investment. At this point, we don’t know how much Brady has left or how much longer he’ll continue playing.
Brock Purdy continuing to develop in his 2nd year in the league and being able to take advantage of a loaded lineup just seems like a better bet.
We’ll just have to wait and see how much faith the San Francisco 49ers have in Purdy heading into next season.