My guess is Rudolph ends up on the 49’rs. Here is the rational….
1. Purdy’s injury recovery is expected to keep him out at least part of the season, meaning they may need to carry an extra qb early in the season
2. Prior to Purdy’s success, there was a strong rumor that Trey Lance wasn’t developing as expected and he might be a bust… It would probably be in their best interest to recoup something for him while there is still value, so its at least possible that they move him at the draft and sign another vet. Mason is cheap and experienced.. he could be an emergency qb option early in the season if they didn’t trade lance, and definitely a guy who could be a backup or spot starter if they did move him.
3. For Mason, all he would have to do is beat out Darnold for the backup spot and he would at least get some starts in the beginning of the season, letting him showcase himself…
4. They are a strong running team that doesn’t need a fleetfooted qb and has a strong D so they don’t need a star qb type to win.
5 Ive read a lot of speculation about the severity of Purdy’s injury… because he played through it, tge swelling didn’t go down until the start of free agency, delaying his surgery. It’s fully possible that Purdy damaged his throwing motion and simply won’t be the same qb when he returns…
Moreover, a rookie qb often doesn’t replicate his initial success later in his career… so its not like even when he gets back, there isn’t a chance that he loses the job anyway…
In short, the 49rs need flexibility at the position because of the uncertainty around it and its probably the best opportunity for Rudolph to play on a team that isn’t absolutely crappy or completely loaded at qb