San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

George Kittle confident in 49ers regardless of who QB is

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 6/13/23

The San Francisco 49ers are presumably tired of answering questions about who their starting quarterback will be.

Tight end George Kittle did his best to put the conversation to rest during an appearance on “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday, stating the 49ers roster is deep enough that the expectation is to return to the NFC Championship Game, regardless of who’s under center.

“I think this is my fifth year in a row about quarterback questions in the offseason. It's incredible; I wouldn't want anything else,” Kittle said with a smirk.“ Yes, having a fantastic quarterback will help us out a lot because it's the most important position in probably sports, but we have three or four guys right now that can sling the ball a little bit.”

While general manager John Lynch has been adamant that second-year QB Brock Purdy is “the leader in the clubhouse” once he returns from elbow surgery, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold — a pair of former No. 3 overall picks — have been taking the majority of reps during OTAs and minicamp.

49ers star tight end George Kittle has made a definitive stance on the QB battle between Brock Purdy and Trey Lance https://t.co/3BWiRh7JUH pic.twitter.com/xaMnU4bPWu
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 13, 2023

Lance appears to be the front-runner to start as long as Purdy is shelved. The 23-year-old has made a strong impression during the offseason, with Shanahan recently admitting that Lance is the healthiest he’s been and that this is the best version of him the 49ers have seen since they drafted him. Pass game specialist Klint Kubiak also pointed out that Lance’s footwork and mechanics have drastically improved from last year.

Despite Darnold’s turbulent first five seasons with Jets and Panthers, he too, has impressed since signing in March. Many league executives have stated they wouldn’t be surprised if Darnold ends up starting Week 1 for the 49ers.

“Trey Lance is taking steps forward, I think he's more than suitable to play quarterback for us,” Kittle added. “He had some great reps at OTAs and we connected on a couple big plays. He connected with (Brandon) Aiyuk on a couple big plays. Sam Darnold, he threw some good balls, too. He connected on big plays with Aiyuk, me and other tight ends. The quarterbacks will get some reps in this training camp, get a feel for everybody and let's just go play some football."

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