🏈 49ers' QB Battle Promises To Deliver Intrigue

The 49ers have three options jostling for the starting spot and drama is likely. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The 49ers have a quarterback battle brewing and there are three players vying for the spot … Eli Manning had a very good career, but is he deserving of enshrinement in Canton? … and more! The drama is bubbling in San Francisco. Few juicy National Football League storylines fail to incorporate a quarterback into the mix and this one has three of them, all pouring spice into a plot that you could make up, but only if the writer was particularly imaginative. The summer travails of Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are engaging enough as entertainment in their own right, a three-horse battle for the starting job where those once designated as thoroughbreds are the outsiders. Yet what is going on with the 49ers is also the ultimate example of how trying to find a franchise QB continues to be an absolute gauntlet, fraught with unpredictability and risk but still worth rolling the dice on because the reward can be so destiny-shifting. Lance is the man with the golden sticker price, with San Francisco having thrown a treasure chest overflowing with quality draft picks in the direction of the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to move up to No. 3 and add him in 2021. It felt like an almighty swing back then and it comes across as distinctly mightier now, considering what we know. The upshot? 102 pass attempts in two years, five touchdowns, three interceptions, a broken ankle that ruined his 2022 season, a current trajectory trending toward being a historic draft bust and an upcoming jostle that will probably land him in no better than second position on the depth chart. When drafted third overall in 2018 (and well ahead of both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson), Darnold cost the New York Jets a bevy of picks so that they could move up, including one that the Indianapolis Colts would use to land Quenton Nelson, now one of the NFL's best guards. The Carolina Panthers would spend significant draft capital to get him away from New York but after some early promise, that didn't work out either, resulting in his current short-term deal in San Francisco, where Darnold hopes to rebuild his reputation. Purdy? Well, he was the closest thing to a freebie as there is in football, having been selected as Mr. Irrelevant with the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 draft, installed on an average salary of $934,252. Furthermore, he is coming off elbow surgery and this week headed to Jacksonville for specialist rehab with QB coach Will Hewlett and orthopedic specialist Tom Gormely. And yet it is the man from Iowa State who is considered likeliest to begin the campaign under center, given the indications made by head coach Kyle Shanahan. For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - Eli Manning is a two-time Super Bowl MVP, but does he have HOF credentials? Ralph Vacchiano lays out the [case for and against]( Manning's enshrinement. - Steve Cohen’s press conference laid it all out for the Mets. [He will be patient]( but they have to play better fast or there is a chance they sell at the deadline. Deesha Thosar explains the patient approach Cohen has taken. - Multiple sources tell FOX Sports that former Barcelona and Argentina national team manager Gerardo “Tata" Martino will be named the [next coach of Inter Miami]( reports Doug McIntyre. - Mick Foley and Undertaker engaged in perhaps the [wildest moment in pro wrestling history]( when they met in Hell In A Cell in 1998, writes Ryan Satin. For the latest news and updates, [click here.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago Cubs (MLBN, 8:05 p.m. ET) The Phillies send Taijuan Walker to the hill looking to keep their hot streak alive against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies (MLBN, 8:40 p.m. ET) Two NL West division rivals collide with the Rockies looking to defend home field when they host the Dodgers at Coors Field. Haiti vs Mexico (FS1, 10 p.m. ET) Mexico and Haiti clash with both looking to stay unbeaten in Gold Cup play. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Utah Utes to win 2023 Pac-12 Championship (+500) From FOX Sports Betting Analyst: Geoff Schwartz Utah wins because the team plays physically in the trenches, but more importantly, the Utes win with defense. In a conference loaded with offensive talent, having the best defense to tag along with the offense will win every year. And once again, they should have the best defense in the conference this season. Rising needs to be ready by the end of September, which is nearly 10 months post-injury. That is a more doable timeline for recovery. There’s also a recent example where Utah started slow but won the conference anyway. In 2021, the Utes lost to BYU and San Diego State in nonconference games before winning the Pac-12. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2023 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 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