What’s there to say at this point? The Packers are hosting the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, who have seen a fairly large number of starting quarterbacks duck under center over the past 20 seasons. Since we’ve done this for eight other teams at this point and people seem to enjoy it, we figured we’d bypass the usual Wisconsin sports coverage this week in favor of ranking the 18 starting quarterbacks the 49ers have fielded since the 2005 season. And yes, after crunching the numbers, we’re just as surprised by some of these rankings as you’ll be. But we stand by them. Go Pack Go!
18. Cody Pickett
Surely the 49ers weren’t looking for their future quarterback when they took Cody Pickett in the 7th round in 2004. How often does a 7th round quarterback actually pan out anyway?! (More on that later.) Well, they didn’t get it with Pickett, who played in a total of six games in 2004 and 2005—two of them starts, both losses—and managed just 195 yards and no touchdowns (compared to four interceptions and three fumbles) in his limited time quarterbacking in San Fran.
17. Ken Dorsey
We repeat: how often does a 7th round quarterback actually pan out anyway?! A year before the Niners took a flier on Pickett, they took Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey in the final round. During 11 total games with San Francisco split between 2004 and 2005, Dorsey led his team to a 2-8 record. Sure, the quarterback isn’t solely responsible for wins and losses, but his 1,712 passing yards, 11 interceptions (to just eight touchdowns), and five fumbles—four of which were lost—didn’t help matters.
16. Trent Dilfer
By all accounts, Trent Dilfer had a long and legitimately good career. He was the starting quarterback on a Super Bowl-winning team, after all. Unfortunately, it ended on a sour note with forgettable stint with the 49ers in 2007. His final season found Dilfer appearing in seven games total (six starts, with a 1-5 record) and throwing 12 picks compared to a scant seven touchdown passes.
15. J.T. O’Sullivan
Longtime Packers fans might recall J.T. O’Sullivan from his one-game stint with the team in 2004. His only starting opportunities came with the 49ers in 2008, where he put up Dilfer-like numbers (eight touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 2-6 record as a starter).
14. Sam Darnold
He’s currently experiencing one heck of a career resurgence as the starter in Minnesota, but in his sole season with the Niners last year, Darnold…well, barely played. Though he appeared in small portions of 10 games, the former 1st round pick started just once with San Francisco. The 49ers lost that game. Over the entirety of his stint in Northern California, he managed two touchdowns, one interception, and 297 yards through the air. He also had a rushing TD and a lost fumble. His low ranking is a byproduct of a small sample size and limited output more than poor play.
13. Brian Hoyer
Career backup Brian Hoyer has already been on three of these previous lists, so it’s only natural he’d be on this one too. During six starts in a partial season with the Niners in 2017, Hoyer never led them to a win. However, it wasn’t entirely his fault. He was efficient-yet-unspectacular in that 0-6 run. Four touchdowns and four interceptions later, Hoyer’s time with the 49ers was up.
12. Chris Weinke
Florida State standout and perennial Panthers backup Chris Weinke just never made it work in the pros. Following an extended stay in North Carolina, he suited up for exactly one season with San Francisco. In two games there (one start) in his final NFL season, Weinke had a mere 104 passing yards and a single touchdown.
11. Trey Lance
Today, you might recognize Trey Lance as the guy standing on the sidelines in Dallas waiting for some playing time near the tail end of the latest Cowboys loss. However, he was once the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Niners obviously had a great deal of confidence in Lance, but things didn’t materialize. To be clear, it wasn’t anything Lance did. It’s more so what he didn’t do. In nine total games (four starts) with the team that drafted him, Lance managed a 2-2 record, 818 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and four interceptions.
10. Blaine Gabbert
Sometimes there’s just not a lot to say about a quarterback. Blaine Gabbert, former first round pick by the Jaguars, found some footing with the 49ers between 2014 and 2016. Yeah, his record was 4-9 as a starter, but he had 16 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and just shy of 3,000 passing yards in his 15-game San Fran stint.
9. C.J. Beathard
Do you honestly remember C.J. Beathard? We don’t, but it turns out this University of Iowa alum had what equates to a respectable season of play (split between three seasons, but still!) with the 49ers. In 19 total games (12 starts), Beathard threw for 3,469 yards and 18 touchdowns. Not bad! The 2-10 record during games he started and the 13 total interceptions weren’t quite as good.
8. Troy Smith
Like Beathard, Ohio quarterback Troy Smith was pretty decent in his time in San Francisco. Over six games (all starts) in 2010, Smith had six total touchdowns to four interceptions, 1,176 passing yards, and the Niners went 3-3 in the process.
7. Nick Mullens
Forget his 5-11 record as a starter with San Francisco, Nick Mullens was downright respectable in San Francisco. Spread throughout three seasons between 2018 and 2020, Mullens managed 4,714 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, and a 64.5 completion percentage in a span of 19 games (16 starts).
6. Tim Rattay
Okay, so now we’re getting into some notable Niners QBs! Tim Rattay spent six seasons with the 49ers between 2000-2005. Primarily in a backup capacity, Rattay wound up playing in 32 games, but only half of those appearances came in a starting capacity. Overall, he passed for just shy of 4,000 yards along with 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Be honest: should Rattay and Mullens be swapped? Maybe.
5. Shaun Hill
While Shaun Hill was also featured on similar quarterback lists we made for the Lions and Vikings, he’s rated highest on this Niners article. A 10-6 record as a starter with San Francisco is only boosted with 3,490 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and an efficient 11 interceptions.
4. Brock Purdy
We repeat yet again: how often does a 7th round quarterback actually pan out anyway?! Oh wait, it REALLY did this one time. The final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft has been nothing short of excellent since stepping into the job late in his rookie season. He helped San Francisco reach a Super Bowl. Dude has also gone 22-9 as a starter since taking the job. Want to give that record to the team’s defense or its many, many offensive weapons? Well, Purdy has currently thrown for more than 8,000 yards and 57 touchdowns (compared to 23 interceptions) to this point in what’s sure to be an excellent career. Give him some respect, people.
3. Alex Smith
Joe Montana. Steve Young. Y.A. Tittle. All these Hall Of Famers were longtime 49ers quarterbacks. Still, Alex Smith is alongside them in the top 10—or top five in some cases—of pretty much every 49ers passing category. People hinge on the fact Smith was the first overall pick in the 2005 draft (over Aaron Rodgers, no less), but he was legitimately good as a Niner and in subsequent stops.
2. Colin Kaepernick
Speaking of great Niners quarterbacks who land in the top 10 of pretty much every favorable franchise QB category, Milwaukee’s own Colin Kaepernick ruled. And he managed to put up great numbers—and lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance—in far fewer games than Alex Smith. Who knows how high Kaepernick’s career could have risen had the NFL not blacklisted him? Sadly, we’ll never know.
1. Jimmy Garoppolo
Are you as shocked as we are? As we mentioned above, we crunched the numbers, then double-crunched them, then crunched them another time, and we somehow reached the conclusion Jimmy fucking Garoppolo is statistically the best 49ers starting quarterback of the past 20 seasons. Despite the significantly smaller sample size than Kaepernick and Smith had as Niners, Jimmy G. had a better record as a starter, more touchdown passes, more completions, and comparable passing yards. He also brought San Francisco to a Super Bowl (which they lost, as is 21st century tradition.) He might’ve been unceremoniously exiled to Las Vegas and is now the backup for the Rams, but—believe it or not—he’s the best 49ers quarterback since Steve Young. Or maybe Jeff Garcia.