Under-the-radar 49ers position battle will begin in rookie minicamp

The San Francisco 49ers have a quarterback battle set to get underway Friday when they open their rookie minicamp.

Second-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who the 49ers selected in the seventh round of the 2025 draft, will participate in the session according to quarterbacks coach Klay Kubiak. Per the Athletic's Matt Barrows, Kubiak on Thursday told reporters Rourke is competing to be the team's third signal caller.

"Love the arm talent," Kubiak said via Barrows. "He's a heck of a thrower."

Rourke missed virtually all of his rookie year while recovering from offseason ACL surgery. He had his practice window opened at the end of the season, but he was never activated off the Non-Football Injury list. This will be his first real chance to compete for a job on an NFL roster.

With Brock Purdy and Mac Jones locked into the top two spots on the depth chart, Rourke will be competing with Adrian Martinez for the third QB job. That spot could be on the practice squad since the 49ers don't always carry three QBs on the 53-man roster.

There's another element at play here, though.

Jones wasn't traded this offseason, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could be dealt either before the regular season begins or at the trade deadline in November. Injuries happen and teams get desperate which could crank Jones' value up far enough that San Francisco would be willing to part ways with him.

In that event the 49ers would need a player they felt good about slotting into the backup QB job. While the third QB battle is primarily for a position that'll be inactive on game days, it will also be for a position that would become one of the most important on the team if Jones is dealt.