Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Tuesday, January 31st, 2023
Hutchinson: Making sense of the 49ers’ NFC championship nightmare
“The fact that we’re all disappointed is an outrageous reflection of how impressive and real that run was. That it was as realistic for the 49ers to win the Super Bowl with Brock Purdy at quarterback as any other team — two of whom had MVP candidates, and the other has Joe Burrow — is laughable.”
Brock Purdy suffered full tear of UCL, hoping to avoid Tommy John surgery [reports]
“According to multiple reports, Purdy suffered a full tear of his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and faces a long recovery, but the “initial hope” is that he can avoid Tommy John surgery to be ready for training camp.”
Matt Maiocco discusses how 49ers might prioritize free agents
““I can’t imagine that McGlinchey will be re-signed,” Maiocco said. “I know we can poke a lot of holes in his game, especially from a pass rush standpoint. But whenever starting offensive linemen, especially tackles, become available on the open market. There is such bad offensive line play around the league, I think he will be highly sought after. And so I would expect him to sign a pretty good contract with some other team and then that would open the door for Colton McKivitz probably to take over at right tackle.”
Maiocco: Purdy’s injury opens 49ers’ QB door for Lance, others
“Assuming Trey Lance is cleared to begin practice when the 49ers’ offseason program begins, he will take the first snaps of the offseason with the No. 1 offense.”
Can 49ers afford to bet it all on eight games of Brock Purdy? Sando’s Pick Six (paywall)
“I think they will trade Trey Lance to Tennessee and then they will end up with Brady and Brady will play one year for his home team, and they will have Brock Purdy as the backup,” an exec from another team predicted Sunday. “That is the chatter. They have the defense already, Brady wants to win one more, and this is right up the 49ers’ alley.”
Josh Johnson? Javon Kinlaw? The 49ers who stood out in Philly — both good and bad (paywall)
“Before the game, Bosa referred to running quarterbacks as San Francisco’s kryptonite. The 49ers, however, mostly had a good plan for Jalen Hurts, who gained 39 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. The 49ers defensive end was instructed to crash inside on read-option plays while another player handled the edge. When the 49ers lapsed, it was because the edge player, linebacker Dre Greenlaw on one snap and nickel cornerback Jimmie Ward on another, was late in reacting.”
“The team might even be amenable to restructuring McCaffrey’s deal to free up cap space this season, as most of his base salary can be converted into a signing bonus that’s prorated over future seasons for cap purposes. The potential downside of such a move would be realized if McCaffrey’s play declined soon to create an inefficient backloaded contract. But he’s only 26 and hasn’t shown signs of losing a step. The 49ers might therefore contractually treat McCaffrey as a foundational player.”