The San Francisco 49ers received more bad news following their NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Scans revealed that rookie QB Brock Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow which will sideline him for at least the next 6 months.
While Purdy’s camp is reportedly seeking 2nd opinions on the matter, the 49ers are allegedly recommending surgery. Should he go through with the procedure, he would be sidelined until a few weeks into the start of training camp.
Initially the team believed that the 7th round draft pick suffered a sprained UCL when he was hit by Eagles defender Haason Reddick while throwing on San Francisco’s 6th offensive snap. However an MRI the following morning showed additional damage to his throwing arm.
Where things become concerning for the Niners, is that it’s currently unclear whether Purdy will require a tendon graft or merely a surgical repair of the damaged ligament. Should he only require a repair, the 6 month recovery timeline will be what the player and team can expect.
However if a graft is required, then the 23 year old will essentially be undergoing Tommy John surgery, which carries a much longer recovery period.
Typical timelines for Tommy John surgery are a year or longer depending on how the body reacts to the procedure. Should a graft be required, the Niners will suddenly find themselves in an all too familiar position heading into the 2023 season: without a clear cut starting QB
Former 1st round draft pick Trey Lance is coming off a broken right ankle which he suffered in Week 2 of the regular season. Jimmy Garoppolo, who spent most of the 2022 offseason in “trade limbo” returned this past year but broke his left foot in Week 13.
Because of the re-worked 1 year deal that Garoppolo signed last August, San Francisco cannot use the franchise tag on him this offseason. The impending free agent will likely have his fair share of suitors on the open market, meaning he’s no sure thing to return to the Bay Area this fall.
And let’s not forget a certain 7 time Super Bowl champion with ties to California as well. Tom Brady was famously spurned by the 49ers in 2020 as the team passed on the opportunity to sign him as a free agent. Brady would go on to sign with Tampa Bay and immediately lead them to a Super Bowl title in his first year with the team.
The 45 year old future hall of famer has been non-committal about his future in football beyond this season. However those in his inner circle believe he hasn’t closed the door on a return to the NFL, but is unlikely to do so with the Buccaneers in 2023.
All in all that leaves San Francisco with an injured rookie QB who could miss all of next year. A 22 year old high draft pick coming off a significant injury with only 4 starts to his name at the NFL level. A veteran QB who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent that cannot be franchise tagged. And a 45 year old first ballot hall of famer who may or may not play in 2023.
The club is also without a 1st or 2nd round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft following deals to acquire Christian McCaffrey, and a pre-draft trade with Miami to move up to select Lance in 2021.
With that in mind, their offseason may only be 48 hrs old, but Kyle Shanahan & Co. will have their hands full between now and Week 1 this fall.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Jim Bahn. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.