It’s pretty clear who will start and be the primary backup for the San Francisco 49ers at quarterback in 2025.
Franchise QB Brock Purdy will undoubtedly be the primary signal caller, and new signing Mac Jones will serve as the primary backup.
But that doesn’t mean San Francisco won’t have any QB surprises in 2025. 49ers insider Jennifer Lee Chan released her 53-man roster projection for the 49ers’ 2025 season, and she projected the 49ers to carry three quarterbacks in 2025.
Behind Purdy and Jones was second-year quarterback Tanner Mordecai.
Seeing Mordecai on the projected roster was surprising to some 49ers fans given that San Francisco drafted former Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke in the 7th round in the 2025 NFL draft, seemingly hoping to develop him into a backup to Purdy.
Chan apparently didn’t put Rourke on the roster because of an ACL tear that he is recovering from.
“Kurtis Rourke, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, is recovering from ACL surgery and likely will have a “red-shirt” year,” Chan wrote.
But that’s not the timeline that 49ers fans have come to expect for Rourke. Back before the NFL draft, insider Tom Peliserro reported that Rourke should be fully healthy in time for training camp, which starts on July 22nd for the 49ers (July 15th for rookies like Rourke).
https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1912210880374403192
Is Chan projecting Mordecai to make the roster over Rourke purely based on skill, with Rourke joining the practice squad, or does she know something about the severity of Rourke’s injury that 49ers fans don’t?
Tanner Mordecai’s Resumé
Tanner Mordecai was a journeyman quarterback in college. A four-star prospect coming out of Midway High School in Waco, TX, Mordecai signed with Oklahoma.
However, he couldn’t carve out a consistent role with the Sooners in three seasons there, so he transferred to SMU for the next two seasons.
Mordecai was very good for SMU, especially during the 2022 season. That year, Mordecai led the ACC with 308 completions, 3,628 yards and 39 passing touchdowns.
Mordecai was a hot name in the transfer portal ahead of his final season in 2024, but he struggled with Wisconsin in 2023.
But, he’d done enough throughout his career to inspire the 49ers to sign him as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He served the entire 2024 season on the 49ers practice squad.
Third String QBs Can Become Necessary
49ers fans know all too well that quarterbacks buried deep on the depth chart can become exceedingly important in key moments.
When he earned the starting QB job in 2022, Brock Purdy was the third-string quarterback for the 49ers who only saw the field after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Then, Purdy got hurt in the NFC championship game, which pressed fourth-stringer Josh Johnson into service – who ALSO got hurt in that game and left the 49ers with no quarterback.
49ers fans certainly hope Brock Purdy takes every snap that matters in 2025, but that shouldn’t stop the team from preparing for injuries to anyone on the roster.
So what do you think, 49ers fans? Should Tanner Mordecai make the 49ers’ 2025 roster?
