3 49ers players who won’t be back for the 2023 season

The 49ers’ season ended in disappointment as QB injuries finally reached a tipping point. Which players will San Francisco have to cope without next year?

The 49ers withstood two injuries to starting quarterbacks this season and still couldn’t be slowed down. Two more injured QBs and the Philadelphia Eagles finally stopped them dead in their tracks.

San Francisco fell to Philadelphia, 31-7, in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday as Brock Purdy suffered an arm injury and fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson was knocked out with injury as well.

It was a disappointing end to what had been a season full of pleasant surprises. Now, the 49ers have to head home and get things together for next year. But not everyone will be back for the ride.

3 49ers players who won’t be back for the 2023 season

Jimmy Garoppolo

Last year, the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo needed to be traded was pretty much the only thing that kept him in San Francisco. He was slated to make too much money in the final year of his contract and he was coming off a shoulder surgery that created uncertainty.

Now he’s set to hit the free agent market. There are no barriers to him signing elsewhere.

Had he stayed healthy after taking over for Trey Lance, perhaps he could have performed at a high enough level to lock in a starting job going forward. Instead, he also got injured and opened the door for Brock Purdy to position himself as yet another starting-quality quarterback for the 49ers to consider.

With Lance and Purdy under contract in San Francisco, Garoppolo will have to somewhere else to grab a starting quarterback job, which he certainly deserves. The only question left is where.