At some point, the San Francisco 49ers are going to want some certainty at the quarterback position. 

With Brock Purdy on the mend from offseason UCL surgery, Trey Lance trying to make a comeback after getting injured early in the 2022 campaign, and Jimmy Garoppolo in Las Vegas playing for the Raiders, the Niners have more questions than answers when it comes to who the starter will be in training camp. Insert the conundrum that is Aaron Rodgers. 

Rodgers was believed to be heading to the New York Jets, but the two sides can't seem to agree on compensation for the 39-year-old signal caller. Like the Jets, the 49ers are trying to win now, meaning it needs good quarterback play to stand a chance in the NFC. And many analysts are starting to believe the 49ers' answer to the quarterback question is Rodgers, who has a history with the state of California and is looking for a roster good enough to win a Super Bowl. 

Recently, Tiki Barber, when on "Tiki and Tierney," to discuss the likelihood of Rodgers joining the Jets or any other franchise. And what made it interesting was that Barber, like other analysts in recent weeks, indicated that Rodgers could be in a Niners uniform sooner rather than later. 

"It's just a little crackling of flames starting to burgeon up underneath the leaves about Aaron Rodgers actually going to the 49ers, as opposed to the Jets, now has some validity," said Barber. "This team will go get Aaron Rodgers if he's available."

He wasn't the only former player turned analyst to say Rodgers to the 49ers is a move that makes sense. Ben Roethlisberger, the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, also admitted that a trade between the Packers and Niners for Rodgers' services is starting to come to fruition. 

“I know he’s been mentioned with them before,” Roethlisberger said on the recent podcast. “I could see it happening. They’ve got a great team, great defense, got a lot of weapons. He likes the boots under center, getting out, and moving. He’d be great in that offense, obviously.”

And then Kyle Crabbs and Joe Marino talked about the 49ers’ predicament on their Locked on NFL Scouting podcast. What Marino had to say also echoed the narrative analysts around the NFL have been pulling at in recent days. 

“Would Rodgers rather go to the Jets or the 49ers?" Marino said. "He played his college ball at Cal, he prefers the west coast, seems like that’d probably be pretty attractive to him.”

Where there is smoke, often there is fire. Rodgers to the Niners may not feel likely right now, but it is a real possibility. Both sides are looking to win. Purdy could miss the entire 2023 season, Sam Darnold isn't moving the needle in the quarterback room, and Lance could be a bust. 

What is it to say that the Niners don't swing for the fences and guarantee a Hall of Fame quarterback under center in the 2023 season? 

In the NFL, anything is possible. It is clear that the 49ers are at least a threat to swoop in and trade for Rodgers.