Brock Purdy Injury Update And Impact On San Francisco 49ers Offseason Plans

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is slated to undergo surgery on his throwing elbow Feb. 22 with Dr. Keith Meister performing the procedure.

At least initially, the plan was for Purdy to have an internal brace repair surgery of the injured ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). The procedure would have come with a six-month timeline for recovery, pushing said date up to the preseason.

Purdy touched on the plans during a recent appearance on Northern California radio station KNBR. In the process, he seemingly broke some news. The 2022 seventh-round pick indicated that the doctor could opt for a hybrid surgery that would involve both reconstruction of the UCL as well as the aforementioned internal brace.

“Yeah, that’s Dr. Meister’s call. He’s done this year after year with the best of the best with MLB pitchers. So he’s definitely seen this kind of thing happen, and he’s going to make the best call, and not just for the heck of it,” Purdy said. “It’s obviously for the best call for my career moving forward. And he knows what’s best, and he’s going to make the best decision for us, so it’ll be good.”

It remains to be seen what type of surgery Purdy will ultimately undergo. If it’s the latter, we’re looking at a longer receovery time. Under that less-than-stellar scenario, San Francisco’s offseason plans change dramatically.

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San Francisco 49ers’ Offseason Plans Hinge On Feb. 22 Surgery

Even if Purdy’s recovery timeline were just six months it stands to reason that young quarterback Trey Lance would be taking starter reps throughout the 49ers’ offseason program.

San Francisco’s offseason workouts will begin at some point in April with organized team activities set for May. Purdy will not be on the field regardless of what type of surgery he undergoes. As such, Lance is the only San Francisco quarterback under contract that could take part in the program.

It’s safe to say that the 49ers are going to be in the market for a veteran backup option no matter what happens with Purdy. Whether that means bringing back Josh Johnson who took some snaps after Purdy suffered the elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game remains to be seen.

Other backup options set to his NFL free agency next month include Baker Mayfield, Mason Rudolph, Case Keenum, Andy Dalton, Taylor Heinicke and former 49ers draft pick C.J. Beathard. It’s safe to say that all six will have to settle for reserve roles on the open market. It’s also safe to say one of the six will be a target of general manager John Lynch and Co.

Worst-Case Scenario For Brock Purdy Changes 49ers’ Offseason Plans

In his season-ending press conference following San Francisco’s NFC Championship Game loss to Philadelphia head coach Kyle Shanahan told media that he was happy with Purdy and Lance moving forward into the offseason.

“I know we have two starters on our team right now that I believe we can win with,” Shanahan said. “When you have that situation, you’re not that eager to go looking around.”

Reconstruction could cost Purdy up to a calendar year, changing the dynamics big time in San Francisco. There were reports weeks ago that the 49ers are not happy with Lance’s growth as a quarterback and have low confidence in him being a starter-caliber signal caller moving forward.

If Purdy’s timeline for recovery expands into the 2023 season San Francisco must think long and hard about bringing in a starter-caliber veteran to compete with Lance.

We’re talking about a team that has earned three NFC Championship Game appearances in four years and can’t rely on a young signal caller who has thrown all of 132 passes since his sophomore season at North Dakota State back in 2019. That’s not a recipe for success.

San Francisco likely doesn’t have the assets to pull off an Aaron Rodgers trade. It likely won’t get involved in conversations regarding a deal for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. The four-time Pro Bowler is set to see his $32.9 million base salary guaranteed on Feb. 15, meaning that the Raiders will trade or release him before then. Right now, the New Orleans Saints are seemingly favorites to land Carr.

Following the retirement of Tom Brady, fans in San Francisco will have to look smaller for a potential bridge quarterback until Purdy is able to take to the field again.

With that said, there are some decent options set to hit NFL free agency in March. Jacoby Brissett put up a pretty solid performance in replacing a suspended Deshaun Watson for the majority of the 2022 season with the Cleveland Browns.

Former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold is also an option. San Francisco did have some interest in Darnold last offseason before he was dealt from New York to Carolina. He also performed well after returning from injury this past season, throwing seven touchdowns against three interceptions in six starts.

There’s always a chance San Francisco finds a way to get involved in the Rodgers’ sweepstakes. The four-time NFL MVP has long wanted to head back to his native Northern California. That just doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now.

Instead, the impact of Purdy’s Feb. 22 surgery will dictate whether general manager John Lynch adds a veteran backup or someone able to compete with Lance as the starter once the offseason program gets going.