Brock Purdy Gets Vote Of Confidence From Sidelined 49ers Starting Quarterback

2022 was supposed to be Trey Lance's time to showcase just how good he can be as the full-time starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, but he has been forced to stay on the sidelines after just two games with an ankle injury.

Instead, he has seen Brock Purdy rise to stardom.

While some would think that Lance would harbor some type of ill will against Purdy, Lance has nothing but praise for his backup as he revealed in an interview with 49erswebzone.com.

"He plays the game the right way. That's why he had so much success. I was just super excited for him. He worked his butt off, all OTAs, since the first day he got here, since the day he got drafted. So, he deserved everything he got this year and more. I truly believe that," Lance stated.

"Just tried to help him as much as I could. Learned a lot from him, as well. Just from a human being standpoint, he's a great person, someone that I see a lot of myself in, so it's great for me to be able to have a quarterback room like we did throughout the year."

The rookie from Iowa State appeared in nine games this season and started five of them after immediate backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a foot injury in Week 13.

By the end of the regular season, Purdy had completed 110 of his 161 attempts which was good for 1,308 yards and 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions while adding 10 yards on the ground plus a rushing touchdown.

Purdy became the NFL's darling quarterback after being "Mr. Irrelevant" in the 2022 NFL draft–a name given to the last pick of the draft.

However, his play has proven that he is nowhere near irrelevant, with fans joking that he has become "Mr. Relevant" after helping secure the 49ers a spot in the playoffs.

Against the Seattle Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys, he would throw for a combined 546 yards and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), putting the 49ers in a position for a shootout with the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his elbow which severely limited his throwing capabilities and the 49ers would go on to lose 31-7 in the NFC Championship game.

It also ended Purdy's chances of keeping his unblemished starter record all the way through the Super Bowl.

While Lance has nothing but good things to say about Purdy, there may come a time between now and the 2023 NFL season, where the two quarterbacks will be locking horns over the starting spot.