Jun 11, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Mac Jones (10) and Brock Purdy (13) work on passing drills during a team OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The 49ers’ QB Situation Isn’t the Crisis Everyone Makes It Out to Be

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Henry Cheal | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 7:00 PM ET

Whether a quarterback crisis or controversy is slowly brewing for the San Francisco 49ers has become the biggest talking point.

To start, Brock Purdy signed a five-year, $265 million extension in the offseason. It marked the dawn of a new era in 49ers history and was one of the biggest statements of intent from Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, making the 2022 ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ draft pick the face of the franchise.

But Purdy turned out to be relevant. Extremely relevant at that. He took the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game and then the Super Bowl the following year. It was evident he was a great quarterback.

In 2024, the 49ers finished with a 6-11 record. It was one of their worst seasons. Still, the front office knew he was their guy, even though Purdy continued to play at a good level without all the weapons that had surrounded him on the way to the biggest game the year before.

Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

With Mac Jones joining the team in the offseason, the 49ers have had to turn to him in Purdy’s absence, as Purdy recovers from one of the harshest injuries a quarterback can face: turf toe.

To be fair to Jones, he has stepped up, and the 49ers are 5-3 with him starting. His stock is rising week after week, delivering increasingly strong performances and becoming a key reason the 49ers remain competitive despite injuries.

But there is no controversy brewing about whether the 49ers might regret signing Purdy to that contract. There is no crisis because Jones has exceeded what was initially expected of him.

If anything, the 49ers need to make sure Purdy fully recovers from his injury. Turf toe injuries are complicated, and the team previously rushed him back. Now they’re taking the opposite approach, though benching him until the last possible moment these past few weeks isn’t ideal if he’s not fully healthy.

The reality could be that the 49ers don’t play Purdy until next season to ensure a full recovery. While Jones has played well in his place, even he knows that if Purdy is fit to return sometime this season, he will be replaced. Publicly, he's vocally said his full focus is simply winning football games.

But the worst thing the 49ers could do is rush Purdy back before he’s ready. The front office has full faith in him, and this situation is simply about managing his injury the right way.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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