The San Francisco 49ers will enter the 2025 regular season with a chip on their shoulder after injuries to key pieces at some of the most important positions on the field made them fall short of expectations from those inside and outside the building.
With a healthy roster and core veterans locked up with long-term contracts, vibes are high in San Francisco coming out of minicamp. However, one of the players behind incumbent starter Brock Purdy on the depth chart is certainly feeling the heat as we inch closer to the beginning of training camp.
After seeing the moves that John Lynch made to address the depth behind Purdy, the pecking order in the quarterback room is already taking shape, and that isn't great news for the former Big 10 standout.
Backup QB Tanner Mordecai's Days with 49ers Numbered Entering July
After not being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, former Wisconsin Badgers standout Tanner Mordecai latched on with the Niners on their practice squad. Following the 2024 campaign, Mordecai signed a reserve/future contract with the organization in January of 2025.
Unfortunately for Moredecai, the quarterback room has drastically changed since January. The odds seem strong that he will be the odd man out in the end. In addition to signing Purdy to a five-year, $265 million extension, San Francisco signed former first-round pick Mac Jones to a two-year deal in March, then drafted former Indiana Hoosiers standout Kurtis Rourke in April.
Jones is a mortal lock to make the roster as Purdy's primary backup. While Rourke is coming off offseason knee surgery, the franchise used a draft pick to bring him in despite knowing he would not be ready to take the field until training camp at the earliest.
For Mordecai, the best bet to stick with the Niners moving forward would likely be the practice squad. It is far from a given that he would be afforded that opportunity, though, once his time on the camp roster inevitably comes to an end.