SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ youth movement even reached what’s now the NFL’s third-youngest quarterback room.
Brock Purdy, 25, is entering his fourth season, and he’s just barely younger than both of his backups — Mac Jones, 26, and, Tanner Mordecai, who is 49 days older than Purdy.
Might the 49ers still look for a cost-effective veteran?
“I think we’re pretty good,” general manager John Lynch responded last week when asked by the Bay Area News Group. “We’ll see. You never close the door.”
Just don’t expect it to swing open for Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz or other old-timers. Those insurance policies might break the 49ers’ incredibly shrinking budget.
A fourth quarterback still figures to come help with offseason and training camp workloads, so as the 49ers dig into draft meetings this week, perhaps they’ll discover a hidden, affordable gem, a la Purdy as the 2022 draft’s closer.
Purdy, of course, remains this offseason’s center of attention, awaiting a contract extension that almost certainly will be the richest in 49ers’ history. To help clear room, the 49ers have downsized their payroll, leaving a reworked roster — and a much different quarterback room.
The only QB rooms younger in the NFL, prior to next month’s draft, are those of the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans, who are led by Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud, respectively. The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles’ room is almost as young as the 49ers, with Jalen Hurts backed up by Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Purdy’s former backups left in free agency: Brandon Allen to the Tennessee Titans and Josh Dobbs to the New England Patriots. Also, Brian Griese, the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach the past three years, has been replaced by Mick Lombardi, under new offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak and ninth-year coach Kyle Shanahan.
Here is how the 49ers’ quarterback stable looks before the offseason program, which is expected to start April 21:
BROCK PURDY
How big of a pay raise will he get? Does he want top-of-the-market pricing in the $60 million-per stratosphere? How low are the 49ers trying to keep his cost? These questions have lingered for years, seeing how Purdy was not eligible for an extension until his third season ended.
He hasn’t shied away from the facility this offseason, and he vowed in January not to dramatically throw a public tantrum over negotiations, which have mostly remained private from both parties.
Presuming his scheduled salary of $5.4 million will be multiplied by 10, perhaps the matter everyone is overlooking is his 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame’s health and durability. Purdy exited the 49ers’ penultimate game with searing pain in his surgically repaired throwing elbow; it later was deemed a bruise with nerve inflammation. In November, a shoulder issue kept him from playing in the 49ers’ loss at Green Bay.
Purdy planned to rest the first month of the offseason before throwing again in February. He’s thrown with a private coach and trainer in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. around this time the previous three years. Any such work or side sessions have remained off the public grid thus far.
MAC JONES
Sure, everyone knows the 49ers passed him over in favor of Trey Lance with the 2021 Draft’s No. 3 overall pick, but Jones’ history has other intriguing elements to it. One is the fact he threw with Purdy last offseason near Jacksonville, which is where Jones settled in as the Jaguars’ backup after three previous years in New England.
“We had a lot of good throwing sessions together. He works very hard, and you can tell he’s very cerebral,” Jones told 49ers.com upon signing his contract (two years, $7 million. “I want to learn from him. You can see just being in the room with him that he elevates everybody. If I can help him, I’m happy to help.”
Jones (6-3, 200) recalled hosted Purdy’s recruiting visit to Alabama before Iowa State landed Purdy for a four-year run. “We just played video games in my apartment and talked football,” Jones said.
The 49ers did the same with Jones before the 2021 draft, but COVID protocol limited their action to “a lot of Zooms,” recalled Lynch, who did attend Alabma’s pro day with Shanahan and talked to Jones there.
Lynch said this month’s reunion was “pretty cool,” adding: “It was good to have him in the building and we’re excited about working with him.”
“Going into my first free agency this year, I really wanted to make a great pick,” Jones told 49ers.com. “Obviously this was a spot I felt comfortable. I feel like there’s a lot of good people here, a lot of winners here. Really just wanted to surround myself with winners.”
The 49ers reached the Super Bowl twice and the NFC Championship Game four times in five years before last season’s 6-11, last-place collapse. Jones made the playoffs as a 2021 rookie starter with the Patriots, whose receivers coach then was Lombardi, now his QB coach.
Jones added of the 49ers: “Obviously Kyle and his résumé speaks for itself. He’s done a great job in the NFL and he always produces each year and that’s something that I want to be around.”
TANNER MORDECAI
Mordecai spent last season on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie, after cameos in the final two preseason games (6-of-10, 103 yards).
In an interview with the Bay Area News Group near season’s end, he described his year as a “learning experience, with such a good quarterback room” that taught him how to approach weekly preparations and how to break down game plans.
“After practice is what I’d get my work in, a lot with Mason (Pline, a then-rookie tight end) or equipment guys,” Mordecai said. “That was pretty much my avenue to keep going. I’m grateful for my position.”
Mordecai called it “awesome” to learn with the 49ers, adding: “For such a long time, the Shanahan name has been connected to the best offensive mind in the game and I’m lucky to learn here.”
Mordecai (6-2, 218) began his collegiate career from 2018-2020 at Oklahoma, where he backed up Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts and Spencer Rattler. He moved on and got his shot at SMU from 2021-22 before finishing at Wisconsin in 2023. He reportedly got $125,000 guaranteed upon signing with the 49ers.
Shanahan said on Jan. 1 that the 49ers carried four quarterbacks all season “just because we didn’t want to lose Tanner. It’s always tough having four, just because of the reps. … You’ve got to find ways to get the work in, but he’s taken advantage of his time here too.”