49ers' George Kittle chooses QB1 between Brock Purdy, Trey Lance

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle would like to see Brock Purdy receive a chance to retain his starting quarterback job over Trey Lance.

"He's fantastic," Kittle said of Purdy during a Thursday appearance on "The VonCast" with Buffalo Bills defensive star Von Miller, per Rohan Chakravarthi of 49ers WebZone. "Our offense was operating at the highest it's probably been since 2019. So, in my opinion, it's Brock's job to lose. But, there will be competition since Brock will be out 'till training camp with his surgery, so it's going to be interesting. But, when you find a guy like that [who] can seamlessly jump in, I think it's his job to lose." 

Purdy officially began his NFL career when the 49ers made him the last pick of the 2022 draft. He first rose up the depth chart when Lance experienced a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 this past September. 

The rookie then became a hero after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a broken foot on Dec. 4, as the 23-year-old won seven consecutive starts (playoffs included) until he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during the NFC Championship Game. 

Purdy plans to have surgery on Feb. 22. If he's sidelined for at least six months, as expected, he won't be cleared to practice before late in the preseason.

"You know, Trey's still got plenty of talent. He just needs to get out there and play," Kittle said about the 2021 first-round draft pick who has only attempted 102 career regular-season passes. 

Kittle added he doesn't know what will happen with Garoppolo since the veteran is on track to hit free agency next month. It seems Garoppolo and the 49ers will go in separate directions when the new league year opens. 

49ers legend Joe Montana raised eyebrows when he recently said his former club should start a healthy Purdy, if possible, this coming September because Lance is still not "ready yet." Kittle didn't go that far but sounds keen on rocking with Brock whenever Purdy is ready to face live defenses once again.