The 49ers shakeup in the quarterback room that made Jimmy Garoppolo the backup and Brock Purdy the third QB left Nate Sudfeld without a job. San Francisco on Tuesday released the QB they signed for $2 million fully guaranteed this offseason. It didn’t take long for Sudfeld to find a new job though.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Wednesday reported Sudfeld was set to join the Detroit Lions as the backup behind starter Jared Goff.
Rapoport also said the 49ers and Lions discussed a trade for the veteran signal caller, but no deal materialized ahead of Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.
Sudfeld played well for San Francisco in the preseason, completing 26-of-38 throws for 254 yards with two touchdowns and one interception across the three preseason contests.
Had the 49ers not retained Garoppolo on a one-year restructured contract, it’s likely Sudfeld would’ve stayed with the club as either its backup or third QB. Instead he’ll spend the season with the Lions — the darlings from this year’s edition of Hard Knocks who could surprise some people and make a run at the NFC North.