The San Francisco 49ers have an established starter at quarterback in Brock Purdy, but there is likely to be a competition behind him following developments at the game's most important position in free agency.

Though they successfully agreed a deal to re-sign Brandon Allen, their third-stringer from last season, the 49ers will not have their backup from 2023 on the roster after Sam Darnold agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold is set to sign for the Vikings on a one-year deal and will potentially have the chance to start in Minnesota.

The number of free agent quarterbacks on the market who would likely come in and be presumed as the number two ahead of Allen is dwindling, with the list headlined by Ryan Tannehill, whose contract would likely be too rich for San Francisco to consider. A to Z Sports projected Tannehill's potential free agent deal as a one-year, $13.5 million contract with $6 million guaranteed.

There are other potential compelling options. Joshua Dobbs had success last season in an offense similar to that of San Francisco, while Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco and longtime Baltimore Ravens backup Tyler Huntley are still on the market.

Flacco is a quarterback that Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan tried to sign in 2021, but his stock is at a point where he could probably command a deal similar to the projected Tannehill contract. It's debatable whether Shanahan would even be interested in a quarterback like Huntley, who has no experience of the system and plays a style that doesn't appear suited to the 49er offense. 

As such, the path for the 49ers would appear to involve either bringing in a low-end backup quarterback via free agency or drafting a rookie in the mid to late rounds next month.

Regardless of which route they choose, a competition between the quarterback they acquire and Allen looks to be an inevitability. Allen is not good enough to be automatically assumed as the number two quarterback, but there is no guarantee a new quarterback would be able to impress sufficiently to beat him out given his experience in the system and, before that, an offense with similar foundations during his time backing up Joe Burrow for the Cincinnati Bengals.

In an ideal world, the 49ers would probably like to draft a quarterback and have him win a competition with Allen, providing them with a young and cheap backup in whom they can have long-term belief.

But the reality is that Shanahan will be entirely focused on the now, and if he feels Allen would provide the 49ers with the best chance to win in the event of a Purdy injury, then he will be the number two quarterback. Either way, with Darnold gone, the QB2 situation will be an intriguing subplot to follow as the 49ers prepare for the 2024 season.

Yetur Gross-Matos can give San Francisco 49ers something they haven’t had since 2022 season

It’s an intriguing deal.