Unheralded 49ers Quarterback Labeled Potential Trade Candidate Ahead of Preseason

The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for the 2026 campaign, and right now, the team is simply hoping to make it to Week 1 with as many healthy players as possible. Injuries have dominated the headlines again in San Francisco, but there is still time for several key players to get themselves ready for the start of the new season.

The silver lining for the Niners is that they are in good shape at the most important position in football at quarterback, as Brock Purdy is healthy for the time being. For much of the offseason, trade rumors have swirled around Purdy’s backup, Mac Jones, but according to one team insider, another member of the quarterback room, Kurtis Rourke, could unexpectedly emerge as a trade candidate over the next few weeks.

Kurtis Rourke Emerges as Potential 49ers Trade Candidate

While Purdy and Jones have rightfully commanded most of the attention in the quarterback room for the Niners lately, Rourke has largely flown under the radar since arriving in town last year. A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Rourke has yet to make his NFL debut, as he’s spent the start of his career developing behind the scenes.

After spending five years with the Ohio Bobcats in college, Rourke transferred to the Indiana Hoosiers for the 2024 campaign, and he promptly turned in a strong season that earned him a ninth-place finish in the Heisman Trophy race (222/320, 3,042 YDS, 29 TD, 5 INT). And yet, there were enough concerns surrounding Rourke that he very nearly went undrafted.

For now, it seems like Jones is going to stick around as Purdy’s backup, but if that happens, the spotlight could suddenly shift to Rourke. When discussing his future, Niners insider Larry Krueger recently floated the possibility of Rourke emerging as a trade candidate, depending, of course, on his ability to put up some big numbers during the preseason.

“I think there’s a chance that Rourke could fetch something significant if he had a big enough preseason,” Krueger admitted on “49ers Collective.”

Should the 49ers Trade Kurtis Rourke?

GettyOne 49ers insider believes quarterback Kurtis Rourke could emerge as a trade candidate for the team

San Fran is in a unique position at quarterback because it seems like, one way or another, a trade is coming at this spot. In theory, trading Jones would make more sense, as he’s in the final year of his contract and would fetch more value. But if the front office opts to hold onto him, teams could decide to take a closer look at Rourke, who has flashed his potential at times during training camp after spending a year learning the 49ers’ offensive system.

It’d be a tough sell when it comes to getting San Francisco to part with a player it drafted just last year, but there may not be much of a future for Rourke with the Niners. Teams across the league are always in need of quarterback help, and with head coach Kyle Shanahan having a reputation of being a quarterback whisperer, that immediately makes Rourke more valuable. It may not be likely, but if the right offer comes across the table, trading Rourke wouldn’t be a bad idea.

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