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The San Francisco 49ers continue to hold a unique advantage under center after not trading backup quarterback Mac Jones this offseason.
Most teams can't compete if their starting quarterback goes down.
That's not the case for San Francisco, which won 12 games a season ago thanks in large part Jones's efforts.
He went 5-3 in eight starts last season while starting QB Brock Purdy dealt with a lingering toe injury.
It looked entering the offseason like the 49ers may be in the hunt for a new backup.
However, the 49ers' asking price for their backup QB was too rich for teams looking to acquire him.
There's still a chance he's moved, but entering training camp San Francisco continues to hold onto Jones and with that the advantage of holding onto hopes of contention even if Purdy misses time.
There's a very real question about whether Jones is a viable starter for a Super Bowl winner.
Given his success a season ago it's enough of a possibility that the 49ers weren't willing to part with him for whatever the asking prices were on the trade market.
San Francisco elected instead to hold onto its starting-caliber backup, giving the club a strong top of the depth chart at the sport's most important position.
Here's our look at the 49ers' QB room heading into training camp Who's on the 49ers' roster at QB? Brock Purdy Mac Jones Kurtis Rourke Adrian Martinez Are there any updates on the QB depth chart? There's nothing substantial for now.
Purdy remains the solidified starter no matter what volume the public outcry for Jones to be the starter reached in 2025.
The 49ers made it clear last season Purdy is QB1, and even if Jones plays well in another Purdy absence again this season it's very difficult to imagine the 49ers making any permanent changes to the top of their QB depth chart.
What are the position battles? While the top of the depth chart is set, the back end of it is still up in the air.
Rourke and Martinez will battle it out in the preseason for the right to be the team's third QB.
Martinez spent virtually all of last season on the 49ers' practice squad and was Jones' backup on the active roster when Purdy was out with a toe injury.
Rourke was on the non-football injury list for most of the season while rehabbing from an offseason ACL repair.
The 2025 seventh-round pick got a handful of practices in late last year and will now get a real opportunity to compete for a roster spot in his second season.
What's the position's biggest question mark? There are two big questions for San Francisco at quarterback.
The first one is Purdy's health.
He's been banged up throughout his NFL career, and while he's largely avoided major injury that costs him significant time, the accumulation of ailments make it tough to pencil him in for 17 games.
The other question mark is about Jones and whether he'll be on the roster for the full season.
QB injuries happen and if they happen to the right team, the club may be willing to part with significant draft capital mid-season to snag Jones and keep their postseason hopes afloat.
We may also see a QB-needy team for 2027 try to acquire Jones and give themselves a head start on free agency, although that seems less likely with a potentially loaded draft class looming next April.
How many QBs will the 49ers keep? This is always a little bit interesting because the 49ers would prefer to keep two QBs on the active roster with a third on the practice squad who can come up and be the emergency QB on game days.
That gets a little dicey if one of Martinez or Rourke has a particularly stellar preseason.
To get a player to the practice squad the 49ers would need to subject them to waivers where another team could scoop them up.
If the 49ers think they could lose a real asset at QB on the waiver wire, then a third signal caller on the active roster is a distinct possibility.
The most likely scenario is the 49ers keep two QBs on their active roster, but we're not going to fully rule out the outcome where they keep three.
More 49ers: 49ers DE Nick Bosa slips in NFL edge rusher rankings for 2026 This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers have unique advantage in contending for Super Bowl in 2026.