San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR on Thursday to talk all things Niners football, and he was asked about the debate over Brock Purdy and Mac Jones and took a subtle swipe at ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky.
The KNBR hosts asked Lynch what he thought about people like Tom Brady, Richard Sherman, and Orlovsky all saying the Niners should stick with the hot hand and let Mac Jones continue as San Francisco's starting quarterback.
Lynch had a funny response:
“Tom has certainly played at high level. Richard's played at a high level. I don't know about Dan Orlovsky, but he talks at a high level. And, you know, you know what they say about opinions. Everyone has one, and those guys are paid to do that. So respect to them. But we just look at it from our perspective. And like I said earlier, we're fortunate to have a really strong quarterback room that goes even beyond Brock and Mac.”
The fact that Lynch took that subtle swipe at Orlovsky by implying he did not play at a very high level is great. Obviously, Lynch would put a little more stock in whatever Brady or Sherman might have to say, but it seems pretty obvious that he is not going to be taking cues from Orlovsky.
Orlovsky played seven seasons in the NFL as a quarterback and had a career completion percentage of 58.2 with 15 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He was a career backup who made 12 starts in his career, but he was certainly no Brady.
Orlovsky has carved out a career for himself at ESPN, though, where he delivers hot takes. Even though Lynch came straight from the broadcast booth into San Francisco's front office, he is probably not going to listen to what ESPN hosts have to say about his squad's quarterback situation.
Lynch talked about the possibility that Purdy might play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals and seemed rosier than he had in recent weeks. It seems dependent on how Purdy looks in practice, and most importantly, how his toe feels. But if he feels good, it seems like there is a decent chance Purdy will play.
The 49ers are not going to listen to the outside noise. If Purdy is healthy, it seems like he'll play even though Jones has done great in relief.
Lynch made that clear in his KNBR appearance and could not help but take a shot at Orlovsky in the process.