Kyle Shanahan: None Of Our Three QBs Are Untouchable

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said he has not told GM John Lynch that any of the three quarterbacks on their roster — Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold— are untouchable if another team has trade interest. 

“I hope all three of these guys are with us and I don’t want to lose any, but we’ll listen to anything,” Shanahan said via Josina Anderson.

San Francisco is in a weird spot at quarterback. Purdy would likely be the unquestioned starter if he hadn’t hurt his elbow in the conference championship game. He had surgery in mid-March and has a six-month recovery, which could make him unavailable until Week 1. 

The 49ers gave up a ton of picks to trade up to take Lance in 2021 but he’s barely played his first two seasons due to injury and is a huge question mark. He’s coming off a fractured ankle but is on track to be ready for OTAs. 

To provide insurance behind those two, the 49ers signed Darnold to a one-year, $4.5 million deal this offseason. Shanahan has been a big fan for a while and Darnold is a former top draft pick with a lot of starting experience. 

Out of those three, Lance would probably draw the most interest, but it likely would be for far less than what San Francisco gave up to get him. If Purdy and Lance are both healthy, Darnold might end up being a luxury. 

Ultimately it feels unlikely the 49ers would trade one of these three but it makes sense for Shanahan to leave the door open if another team wants to blow them away with an offer. 

Lance, 22, was a one-year starter at North Dakota State. He was a unanimous All-American sophomore but was limited to appearing in just one game in 2020 due to NDSU’s schedule.

The 49ers traded up to select Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Lance signed a four-year, $34,105,276 contract with the 49ers that includes a $22,163,837 signing bonus. 

San Francisco will have a fifth-year option to pick up on him in 2024.  

In 2021, Lance appeared in six games for the 49ers and completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 603 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown.

Purdy, 23, was a four-year starter at Iowa State. He was drafted in the seventh round with the final pick of the 2023 NFL Draft by the 49ers. 

He signed a four-year, $3.7 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $77,012. 

In 2022, Purdy appeared in nine games for the 49ers with five starts and completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He added 22 rush attempts for 13 yards and one touchdown. 

Darnold, 25, is a former first-round pick of the Jets back in 2018. He was in the final year of a four-year, $30.370 million rookie contract when he was traded to the Panthers. 

Carolina exercised Darnold’s fifth-year option for 2022 after acquiring him from New York. He made a base salary of $18.858 million in 2022 under the option. 

Darnold was an unrestricted free agent for the first time this offseason when he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the 49ers. 

In 2022, Darnold appeared in six games for the Panthers and completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions to go along with 106 yards rushing and two touchdowns.