49ers GM John Lynch happy about team's stability at QB position
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke with reporters at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday and indicated Brock Purdy is cemented atop the depth chart as the club's starting quarterback following San Francisco's interest in living legend Tom Brady roughly one year ago.
"It's a nice feeling, I know that, having stability at that position," Lynch said about the team's current quarterback situation, per Marc Adams of 49ers WebZone.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed ahead of his club's Super Bowl LVIII showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs that he wanted to sign Brady last winter when Purdy was recovering from the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that he suffered in January 2023.
While Brady stayed retired and is now on track to become a limited partner with the Las Vegas Raiders and Fox's lead NFL analyst, some have suggested that the 49ers could attempt to acquire Minnesota Vikings veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency.
Shanahan served as Cousins' offensive coordinator with Washington during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
"People forget last year was Brock's first full year as a starter," Lynch continued on Tuesday. "I think that leaves you feeling pretty good about his opportunity, with what we've already seen in his couple of years, in particular, last year, the first full year as a starter. He was coming off the injury. We're past that, and it just gives you a lot of confidence going in."
ESPN stats show that Purdy finished the 2023 regular season leading the NFL among qualified players with a 72.8 adjusted QBR, a 113.0 passer rating and an average of 9.6 yards per pass attempt.
The 24-year-old was a mixed bag across two January playoff games, though, and he then completed 23-of-38 passes for 255 yards with one touchdown in the 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs on the sport's biggest stage.
Some within the NFL community may still view Purdy as a "game manager" until further notice, but Lynch sounds convinced the final pick of the 2022 draft can be the franchise's long-term answer at quarterback.
"Now it's like we're kind of building around him," Lynch added about Purdy. "It gives you a foundation to build off, and that's a really good feeling, a settling feeling."
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