49ers Exit Interviews, Qb: Will Brock Purdy Have Another New Backup In 2026?

It was a trying season for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback position. After inking Brock Purdy to a new contract and signing a new backup quarterback, the last thing head coach Kyle Shanahan expected was to see Mac Jones in the starting lineup two games into the season.

As we begin our positional exit interviews, we’ll highlight three strengths, two weaknesses, and then project how the room will look heading into 2026.

Quarterback strengths

Depth

The 49ers won 12 games with two quarterbacks effectively starting half the season. Look no further than the AFC Championship game from this past Sunday, where you saw how the average QB2 looks. Yet Mac Jones threw at least 39 passes in five of his starts and still posted a nearly 70 percent completion rate.

The 49ers didn’t want to test their depth this season, but it still came through for the Niners in the biggest way possible this past season.

Mobility

When Purdy took back over for Jones, he didn’t run until after the bye week. Then, post bye, Purdy took off for a 26-yard scramble. He ended up having 9, 10, and 11-yard rushes after the bye. More importantly, Purdy’s ability to navigate muddy pockets all season while consistently running out of sacks proved to be one of his greatest strengths, and one the offense needed from its quarterback when nobody could get open.

Aggression

You can’t be timid if you want to succeed at quarterback in this league. You have to be an aggressive decision maker, even if you’re throwing it to wide receivers who weren’t on the roster in Week 1.

Jones threw into a tight window on 17 percent of his passes, while Purdy sat at 15.5 percent–both top 17 figures. It’s no surprise that the average separation Purdy (3.2) and Jones (3.3) were victims of throwing with the second and eighth-fewest average separation, given the lack of wide receiver talent.

This is the big leagues, and nobody feels sorry for quarterbacks. You can still dictate the action, and Purdy and Jones did fantastic jobs this season of giving their wide receivers opportunities to make plays. Even on the turnovers in the playoffs, those are throws you need to make in this offense.

Those types of aggressive decisions are the only way you get over on stingy secondaries like the Eagles. Purdy finished fourth in EPA per dropback, while Jones finished 19th. That tells me both quarterbacks aggressively ran the offense at a high level.

Weaknesses

Untimely turnovers

Coming into the season, Purdy had nine touchdown passes and 15 interceptions in his career when he was tied or trailing in the second half and overtime. Compare that to a 61/13 ratio in all other situations.

Both of Purdy’s interceptions in Week 1 came when tied or trailing in the second half. One of his picks was under the same scenario in Week 4. Even in the final three games of the season, there was a fourth-quarter interception against the Colts. You could make a simple argument that interceptions against the Bears and Seahawks weren’t his fault, but that doesn’t take away from the other mistakes that happened throughout the season.

Purdy played well this season. But the untimely turnovers were consistent and continue to bite the offense.

Durability?

We will hear the pros and cons of trading Jones this offseason. One con that we’ve already heard is that you can’t trade the backup quarterback just in case the starter gets hurt. That’s bad business. The odds that Mac’s value will get any higher than it is now are slim. Now is the time to capitalize on his market.

The biggest issue with that is the worry about your starter’s durability. It’s premature to say Purdy is injury-prone, as this was the first year he’s missed a chunk of games. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been banged up.

He tore his UCL in the NFC Championship game as a rookie, but technically never missed a game after that. He left the Ravens late in 2023 with a stinger. Purdy battled a back injury ahead of Week 4 in 2024. That same year, he had a right shoulder injury in Week 11 and a right elbow issue in Week 17. There was no real reason for Purdy to play in Week 18.

Then, this year, there was the grade 1 turf toe injury and the stinger in Week 18. Purdy aggravated his turf toe injury in Week 4, causing him to miss just under two months.

At 6’1″, 212-ish pounds, you can’t help but wonder how durable Purdy will be if he continues to take hits or if, at his stature, he’s more prone to injury than a 6’5″, 230-pound quarterback.

How does the QB room look in 2026?

The 49ers should be able to command a second- or third-round pick for Mac Jones, since he is being paid pennies on the dollar for a starting quarterback in 2026. Enjoy the Vikings, Mac.

As for the Niners, we’ll find out if Kurtis Rourke showed enough promise during a few weeks of practice, or if a player like Marcus Mariota, Gardner Minshew, Kenny Pickett, or Tyler Huntley wants to do what Sam Darnold and Jones did to earn another shot as a starter.

Let’s take a guess:

• Brock Purdy
• Tyler Huntley
• Kurtis Rourke

Huntley has experience, mobility, is young, and, while undersized, probably gives the 49ers the best realistic chance as a backup. If Rourke ends up better than him, the 49ers will take it.