The Tennessee Titans’ search for a general manager has led them to hire Ran Carthon, the 49ers’ director of player personnel, ESPN first reported.

His departure would send the 49ers compensatory picks in the third round of the next two drafts.

This is the third year since the NFL enacted its incentive program, yielding the 49ers multiple third-round picks with the hiring of Robert Saleh (2021 New York Jets, head coach), Martin Mayhew (2021 Washington Commanders, general manager), and Mike McDaniel (2022 Miami Dolphins, head coach).

In 2021, the 49ers selected cornerback Ambry Thomas with their compensatory pick. Last year, they had two such picks, and after trading away one to Miami as part of the 2021 package to move up and draft Trey Lance. The 49ers used their other pick on wide receiver Danny Gray to close out the third round.

The 49ers will have three compensatory, third-round picks on April 28, for the combination of losing Saleh/Mayhew, McDaniel and Carthon. The 2024 draft would include one more third-round pick, for Carthon’s exit.

If defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is hired elsewhere as a head coach — he’s set to interview with the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans on Thursday and Friday — the 49ers would have a pair of compensatory third-round picks over the 2024 and ’25 draft for his and Carthon’s departures.

Carthon replaces Jon Robinson, who was fired Dec. 6 as the Titans were en route to losing their final seven games in a 7-10 season.

Carthon joined the 49ers’ personnel department in 2017, serving four years as the director of pro personnel and the past two as director of player personnel. Carthon formerly worked in the Falcons’ and the Rams’ front offices after his NFL playing days as an Indianapolis Colts running back. His father, Maurice, played for the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts before becoming an assistant coach.

Time now for Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott to join the pantheon of quarterback duels in this epic, postseason rivalry.

Come Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in a divisional-round game at Levi’s Stadium, they’ll follow such matchups as John Brodie vs. Roger Staubach (and Craig Morton), Joe Montana vs. Danny White, Steve Young vs. Troy Aikman, and, as recently as last January, Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Prescott.

Defenses will have their say, of course. They’ll have the ultimate say, and they’re enjoying stellar seasons. Dallas’ Micah Parsons leads the way for America’s Team, and Nick Bosa keys, shall we say, Great America’s Team (in a nod to the 49ers’ neighboring, amusement park).

Quarterbacks. Pass rushers. Legacies. Winner advances to next the NFC Championship Game, to keep alive a generational pursuit of a sixth Lombardi Trophy, and that goes for either the 49ers or Cowboys.

Sure, their playoff history is rich, but how do their current editions compare? Here is the tale of the tape:

QUARTERBACKS

Cowboys: Prescott infamously ended last season’s playoff loss at Dallas by scrambling and sliding in the final precious seconds against the 49ers, who won 23-17. His rushing (and bootleg) ability resulted in a fourth-and-goal touchdown in Monday’s playoff return, a 31-14 win over Tampa Bay. This season, he tied for the NFL-high with 15 interceptions, including at least one in seven straight games entering the playoffs. After fracturing his right thumb in their opener, Prescott had a five-game hiatus, and questions about his accuracy have followed in his comeback. Well, up until Monday (305 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions).

49ers: Purdy’s seventh career start comes amid his deification, which grows week by week, win by win. In beating the Seahawks 41-23 in Saturday’s playoff debut, Purdy became the first rookie quarterback in an NFL playoff game to produce four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). Purdy’s completion percentage (67.1) tied with Patrick Mahomes for seventh-best in the regular season, just behind Purdy’s injured predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo (67.2).

RUNNING BACKS

Cowboys: A tremendous tandem exists with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, with the latter having made the Pro Bowl. They combined for 1,831 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground in the regular season. Elliott hasn’t had a 100-yard game since October 2021, and his average of 3.8 yards per carry was the lowest of his seven-year career. In last year’s playoff loss, he had just 31 yards (12 carries), and Pollard just 14 yards (four carries).

49ers: Christian McCaffrey has been a godsend to the 49ers’ offense, and while his receiving ability is unmatched among NFL running backs, he’s run for over 100 yards in four of the past six games. The 49ers can spell him with Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell, and, perhaps rookie Jordan Mason. Samuel’s 26-yard touchdown run seized control for the 49ers’ in last year’s playoff win at Dallas, and he finished 72 yards (10 carries) while Mitchell had 96 (27 carries). Mitchell had just 2 yards (nine carries) on Saturday, and Samuel had 32 yards (three carries).

RECEIVERS

Cowboys: They’ve got a Pro Bowler in CeeDee Lamb (107 catches, 1,359 yards, nine touchdowns). Limited by the 49ers to one catch on five targets in last year’s playoff debut, Lamb couldn’t catch Prescott’s first two passes Monday night (then T.Y. Hilton dropped the third to spoil the opening series.) Tight end Dalton Schultz had two touchdown catches in Monday’s first half, and he was their leading receiver (seven catches, 89 yards) against the 49ers in last year’s playoffs. Michael Gallop and Noah Brown are other options, as are the running backs.

49ers: Samuel, on the eve of his 27th birthday, tallied 133 yards Saturday that were the 49ers’ most in a playoff game since 2014 (Anquan Boldin, 136 at Carolina). All of Brandon Aiyuk’s 73 yards Saturday came in the first half, and he dropped a potential fourth touchdown pass by Purdy, but Aiyuk’s first 1,000-yard season has been the aerial complement needed for this offense. George Kittle caught his only two targets Saturday (37 yards), but he’s been a fabulous target for Purdy, including on improvised plays. Of Kittle’s career-high 11 touchdowns, seven came in the four games entering the playoffs. No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings is battling an ankle issue, and Ray-Ray McCloud lurks as a speedy option from the slot.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Cowboys: Right guard Zack Martin is an All-Pro and Pro Bowler. Left tackle Jason Peters tapped out with a hip injury just before halftime Monday night, and Tyler Smith replaced him, rather than immediately shift Tyron Smith back over from right tackle. Center Tyler Biadasz is battling through a recent high-ankle sprain.

49ers: Preseason concerns have been replaced by strong confidence in this cohesive unit. The 49ers boast the NFL’s best lineman in left tackle Trent Williams, who’s flanked to his right by Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford and Mike McGlinchey. Burford has rotated with Daniel Brunskill most of the season, and that’s yielded mixed results.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Cowboys:  Parsons entered Monday night’s game with the league’s best pass-rush win rate (29.8 percent). He opened the playoffs with a tackle-for-loss on his first snap, but he limped into the locker room at halftime, so he might not be at full strength Sunday. Demarcus Lawrence is a ninth-year veteran with 49 ½ career sacks. Keep an eye on the interior for Osa Odighizuwa and Johnathan Hankins, the latter of whom just came off injured reserve.

49ers: Bosa runs this show, as evident by his league-leading 18 ½ sacks and 48 hits. But he had neither sacks nor quarterback hits in the playoff opener, so that showed just fierce the rest of the defensive front can be. Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Kevin Givens and T.Y. McGill are stout on the interior. The versatile Charles Omenihu had two sacks in the opener, including the play of the game with a strip sack. Samson Ebukam (ankle) and Jordan Willis round out the rotation unless Drake Jackson gets activated for pass-rush help.

LINEBACKERS

Cowboys: Leighton Vander Esch has returned from a neck injury to patrol the middle of their defense. Anthony Barr has the veteran experience to snuff out screen passes. Parsons is technically a linebacker but he’s best used as an edge rusher.

49ers: The NFL’s best unit is led by All-Pro Fred Warner both as a tackler and vocal leader. Dre Greenlaw has been a more electric play-maker with his speed, range and guts (see: asking Tom Brady to autograph the football he intercepted last month). Greenlaw had 11 tackles in the playoff opener, Warner had six and Azeez Al-Shaair three.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Cowboys: Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs gambles but, “I love the kid and he makes plays,” former Cowboys and 49ers cornerback Deion Sanders said on ESPN’s “ManningCast” Monday night. “If you continually play with him, he’s going to get you sooner or later.” DaRon Bland gave up a 30-yard touchdown catch as Monday’s third quarter ended. Jayron Kearse made an end zone interception Monday night, but he hurt his left knee late in the third quarter. Fellow safeties Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker are potential play makers.

49ers: Charvarius Ward has been the 49ers’ best cornerback since Richard Sherman in 2019, although Ward struggled Saturday and in their last loss three months ago to Kansas City. Deommodore Lenoir’s interception in his playoff debut likely won’t stop him from being targeted but his confidence hasn’t wavered all season. At safety, the 49ers have an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in Talanoa Hufanga, while Tashaun Gipson Sr. has been a tremendous complement all season. The further the 49ers go, the better return that Jimmie Ward might get in his contract year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Cowboys: Brett Maher missed four point-after kicks Monday night, so that position is a glaring concern for Dallas. KaVontae Turpin is a Pro Bowl return specialist. Punter Bryan Anger, a Cal product, had a 42.8 net average in his 11th season.

49ers: Robbie Gould has been historically automatic in 14 career playoff games, making all 25 of his field-goal attempts and 37 point-after kicks. The 40-year-old kicker feels stronger than his younger days and that shows on touchbacks as a kickoff specialist. Mitch Wishnowsky only punted once Saturday, a 57-yard gem. Ray-Ray McCloud has been sure-handed and on the verge of busting a big return.

COACHING

Cowboys: Mike McCarthy, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in 2005, is 0-3 against them in the playoffs as a head coach. That includes two meetings as the Packers’ coach before he took over the Cowboys in 2020. McCarthy’s produced back-to-back 12-5 seasons. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is to interview Friday for the Denver Broncos’ post; he got his NFL start as a 49ers assistant in 2001-04 and eventually went 43-42 as coach of the Atlanta Falcons, whom he took to the 2016 season’s Super Bowl with Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator.

49ers: Shanahan’s sixth season has been his best with the 49ers, seeing how they’re on an 11-game win streak and on their third quarterback. Shanahan’s offensive wit is also showing through with McCaffrey joining the air-and-ground assets. DeMeco Ryans, in his second year as defensive coordinator, oversees the NFL’s stingiest unit and that’s set him up for head-coaching interviews this week with the Broncos and Houston Texans, with the Arizona Cardinals and the Indianapolis Colts also requesting a shot.

SERIES HISTORY 

Cowboys: All due respect to “The Catch” Dwight Clark made to launch the 49ers’ dynasty in the January 1982 NFC Final, the Cowboys’ playoff history includes wins in the Bay Area. Monday marked the Cowboys’ first road playoff win since January 1993 at Candlestick Park; they’ve also beaten the host 49ers in the 1970 and ’72 playoffs.

49ers: Levi’s Stadium is offering its best home-field advantage yet in nine seasons. The 49ers have won 13 of their past 14 appearances, although that followed a calendar year between home wins. A year ago, the 49ers ousted the host Cowboys in the wild-card round, 23-17.

The Raiders exposed a few vulnerabilities in Week 17. The Seahawks found a few more in the Wild Card Round. Now the Dallas Cowboys seem poised to challenge this Niners’ defense in a whole new way on Sunday.

The Niners’ secondary is scrambling. The pass rush lacks the same punch it had early in the season. The rush defense is getting pushed around a bit.

This 49ers’ defense is still strong — you don’t simply go from excellent to awful — but we haven’t seen greatness from this unit since the calendar flipped.

But fret not, Niners fans, because the 49ers’ offense has turned into a juggernaut — a unit capable of carrying this team to the Super Bowl.

It was sneaky, like Brock Purdy’s athleticism, but the 49ers have scored 34 points per game since the seventh-round rookie took over the offense in the first quarter of the team’s Week 13 game against the Dolphins.

A small sample size? Sure. But the points output is no fluke. In the NFL, yards translate into points, and the Niners have averaged 396 yards per game with Purdy at the helm. Only two teams in the NFL had a higher per-game average over the course of the season — the Chiefs and the Bills.

There’s an obvious answer as to why the 49ers’ offense has jumped 10 points per game since Jimmy Garoppolo was at the helm.

And no, it’s not just the quarterback.

The Niners’ trade to acquire running back Christian McCaffrey would have been the turning point of any other team’s season. He’s been exceptionally impactful, not just statistically, but tactically, too.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan has long coveted a running back who was as effective as a pass catcher as he was running the ball. In the coach’s first full offseason, he signed Jerick McKinnon to a four-year, $30 million contract. The idea was that Shanahan could move McKinnon all over the field — if the defense keyed in on the running back, another player (or two) would be left with a great matchup; if the defense deprioritized defending the running back, he’d be the one to burn them.

It never worked out with McKinnon, who was frequently injured during his Niners’ tenure, only playing one unremarkable season — 2020.

Shanahan was so keen on the idea of a do-it-all running back, though, that he turned wide receiver Deebo Samuel into a running back last season. That worked well, but it wasn’t precisely what Shanahan wanted.

This season, McKinnon is living out Shanahan’s fantasy in Kansas City — the do-it-all back has nine touchdowns since Week 13. That’s OK, though, because the Niners finally found their perfect running back with McCaffrey.

Not only is the former Carolina Panther a brilliant between-the-tackles runner, but his route-running, particularly from the slot, gives Shanahan access to every page of his playbook for the first time in his Niners’ tenure.

Add Samuel to the mix, and defenses have no idea what personnel grouping to have on the field. That creates the mismatches that are the foundation of Shanahan’s offensive philosophy.

If only that was the end of the Niners’ weapons: There’s also Brandon Aiyuk — who has developed into Shanahan’s latest prolific ‘X’ receiver — third-down maestro Jauan Jennings, and, some guy named Kittle.

The only weakness on this 49ers’ offense right now is the interior of the offensive line, and they’re pretty good. Yes, Seattle’s massive defensive tackles tossed around undersized center Jake Brendel and left guard Dan Brunskill on Saturday, but Brendel bounced back in the second half of the game, and rookie left guard Spencer Burford proved up to the task when he was subbed into the game.

The Niners’ offense, with McCaffrey confusing defenses and Samuel adding to their problems, can paint the entire canvas. The Niners can run the ball inside or outside and throw it sideline-to-sideline and deep, too.

They can do that because they have a quarterback who can execute all those plays.

Purdy’s received countless accolades over the past few weeks, and all earned, but what stands out the most to me is how much rhythm the Niners’ offense has with him at the helm.

It helps to have an absurd amount of weapons and arguably the NFL’s best play-caller on your side, but if being a “system” quarterback for Shanahan and the 49ers were so easy, we’d be talking about C.J. Beathard or Brian Hoyer right now.

Shanahan hasn’t coddled the rookie. No, he’s throwing even more on his plate than his predecessors. The importance of the moment calls for it. Purdy — with his excellent decision-making and plus talent with both his arm and his legs — has proven he’s capable of it.

“We didn’t have the luxury to sit there and worry about stuff the way the game was going,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s first action, in Week 13 against the Dolphins. “We just had to call plays to try to win the game, and he did such a hell of a job, and he’s done it every time since. We have a lot of confidence in him, and he gives us more and more confidence each week.”

Purdy is delivering the ball on time and in stride to receivers. He’s selling play-action concepts and keeping defenses honest with his scrambling ability. The Niners’ offense flows with him at the helm. It allows Shanahan to find rhythm with his play calls. Top-to-bottom, the Niners’ offense is making beautiful music right now.

And it’s needed with the Niners’ defense — so outstanding for so much of the season — slipping a bit in recent weeks.

In particular, the Niners have struggled to corral No. 1 receivers.

They’re hardly unique in that distinction — those top receivers are paid a lot for a reason — but in the Purdy era, we’ve seen Tyreek Hill (9 catches, 146 yards, touchdown), Davante Adams (7 catches, 153 yards, two touchdowns), and D.K. Metcalf (10 catches, 136 yards, two touchdowns) give the Niners the business.

Even the Washington Commanders were carving up the Niners’ secondary. With Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb coming to town Sunday, the trend might continue.

But if Sunday’s game is a shootout, the Niners are well-equipped to win.

This is an offense-first team now, and that’s anything but an issue.

The No. 2-seed 49ers (14-4) will host Sunday’s divisional-round game at 3:30 p.m.

The No. 5 Cowboys (13-5) advanced with Monday night’s 31-14, wild-card win over seven-time champion Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were the No. 4 seed but also 2 ½-point underdogs.

At stake Sunday is a spot in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 29, and, ultimately, the chance to win what would be either franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Ariz.

The 49ers’ last Super Bowl win came in the 1994 season, after they knocked off the two-time reigning champion Cowboys 38-28 for the NFC Championship. The Cowboys rebounded to win the next season’s Super Bowl, and they haven’t been back on that stage since then.

The Cowboys’ first road playoff win since January 1993 at Candlestick Park finally came on Monday. A year ago to the day, the Cowboys lost 23-17 in the wild-card round at home — to the 49ers.

“They took us out last year. We know what we have ahead of us,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said after Monday’s win on ESPN.

The 49ers are riding an 11-game win streak, which they extended with Saturday’s 41-23 wild-card win at home against the Seattle Seahawks.

Here are the pros and cons of a rematch, from the 49ers’ perspective:

PROS

1. LINE SHUFFLE: Left tackle Jason Peters left the Cowboys’ win before halftime because of a hip injury, and that could intensify the 49ers’ pass rush from Nick Bosa (NFL sack king), Charles Omenihu (two sacks Saturday), Arik Armstead, Jordan Willis and others. Do the Cowboys keep Tyler Smith as Peters’ replacement, or shift Tyron Smith back there from right tackle? Regardless, it’s not a healthy line, not to mention center Tyler Biadasz is battling through a recent high-ankle sprain.

2. KICKER DIFFERENCE: Brett Maher missed four point-after kicks Monday night for the Cowboys, who surely will look for an upgrade this week. In stark contrast, the 49ers’ Robbie Gould has been historically automatic in 14 career playoff games, making all 25 of his field-goal attempts and 37 point-after kicks.

3. HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: Not only do the 49ers get the benefit of an extra day of rest and no travel, they get to play on a home field where they’ve won 13 of their past 14 appearances. This will be the Cowboys’ fourth straight game on the road since Dec. 29; they’re 5-4 away from AT&T Stadium, 8-1 at home. Of course, the 49ers Faithful gladly will recall home playoff wins over the Cowboys en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl crown (1981 season) and their last one (1994).

CONS

1. DEFENSIVE MOMENTUM: As prolific as the 49ers have become in scoring over 30 points (eight times in this 11-game win streak), it will take a dominant defense to stop them. Could that defense be the one that smothered Brady and the Bucs? Micah Parsons limped off the field just before halftime but otherwise served as a menace all game. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who got his NFL coaching start with the 49ers 20 years ago, is expected to interview for the Denver Broncos’ head-coaching post on Friday, a day after 49ers counterpart DeMeco Ryans. Parsons and other defensive starters stayed in to finish off Monday night’s rout, which may be ill-advised when they need to keep up Sunday with the 49ers’ fresher legs.

2. RED-HOT DAK: Dak Prescott opened with three incompletions on Monday night’s three-and-out opener, then caught fire in “the best game of his career,” ex-Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said on ESPN’s broadcast. Prescott avoided his regular-season penchant of throwing interceptions (NFL-high 15) and instead spun four touchdown passes and totaled 305 yards for a 143.3 passer rating. Tight end Dalton Schultz had two touchdown catches, and the 49ers have struggled at times this season against quality tight ends. Prescott could look to him again while the Niners’ cornerbacks focus on CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallop, each of whom had a touchdown against the Bucs.

3. RUSHING THREAT: Tony Pollard has burst, and he has a Pro Bowl spot that the 49ers believe should have gone to Christian McCaffrey. Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott form a 1-2 punch, one that the 49ers shut down to the tune of 57 yards on 16 carries in last season’s playoff game. That Cowboys’ duo combined for over 100 yards before the fourth quarter Monday night. Prescott ran for a fourth-and-goal touchdown to remind everyone of his mobile capabilities, though his scramble and slide ate up the final seconds of last year’s playoff loss to the 49ers. Although these 49ers had the NFL’s No. 2-ranked run defense in the regular season, they gave up 54 yards to Kenneth Walker III before halftime Saturday, they looked vulnerable two weeks earlier against the Raiders, and they give up lanes to mobile quarterbacks.

No, it’s “what happens at quarterback next year?”

Well, Purdy has answered that question for all of us over the last seven games.

No matter what happens from this point in the playoffs onwards, Purdy has proven himself to be the 49ers’ quarterback of the future. Of course he is. You saw his performance over the Seahawks on Saturday, where he threw for 332 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, right?

It doesn’t matter if Purdy wins the Super Bowl — the strange, arbitrary barometer suggested by countless fans over the last few weeks. No, Purdy has already passed the test. When he has played, he has made the 49ers better.

And while no one expected Brock Purdy to be the man in Santa Clara — save for perhaps Brock Purdy — the reality of the scenario is inescapable: The Niners’ grand Trey Lance plan is dead. They’re on the Purdy Plan from here on out.

That leaves the team with a bit of a mess. But the 49ers should feel fortunate. They stumbled into the most enviable quarterback situation in the NFL — a situation so advantageous that it previously only existed in thought exercises.

Of course, there are the two other quarterbacks that started games for the 49ers this season. How do they fit into The Purdy Plan?

There are a few ways this can go, but I expect that heading into training camp next summer, Purdy and Lance will be in “competition” for the top quarterback job.

But the truth is that Purdy will have a massive head start in that competition. He has put together far more — and far better — game tape, and Lance is coming off a massive injury that will likely put some limitation on his involvement in the Niners’ offseason workout programs.

No, the “competition” will be lip service from Kyle Shanahan. He did the same thing in 2021, even though Lance had little chance of starting the season as QB1. By calling it a competition, Shanahan sends a message to the rest of the roster that no one’s job is guaranteed in camp. It’s also a bit of cover in case Lance returns as the second coming of Josh Allen.

For now, with Lance still unproven — a talented but underwhelming enigma — the selection to draft Purdy might have been the smartest move the 49ers have made under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

Then there’s Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo is an unrestricted free agent, and with eight teams guaranteed to be in the market for a starting quarterback this offseason and another half-dozen possibly joining the fray, he’s going to have suitors. Garoppolo’s 2022 season might have started and ended with injury, but he was pretty good when he was on the field. Someone is going to pay handsomely for his services.

The Niners can’t pay Garoppolo as much as the market will. They also can’t guarantee him a starting job, like other teams will. They probably can’t get rid of Lance to make room for Garoppolo on the roster, either.

So Garoppolo is gone.

To be fair, the Niners — as in 2021 — could do much worse than Lance at backup quarterback. Being a backup wasn’t the 49ers’ original plan for Lance — they traded three first-round picks to draft him at No. 3 overall — but that’s the beauty of the NFL, you have to stay nimble and live in reality in this league.

Given how much the Niners have needed their backup quarterbacks under Shanahan, they’d be foolish not to invest in that position.

No matter what happens Sunday in the Divisional Round and beyond, Purdy is now the most valuable player in the NFL. I mean value in how we use the word when we shop at Target: his performance dramatically outpaces his cost.

It’s one of my favorite NFL questions being answered in real-time. What would happen if a team went all-in and built a roster around a solid, but super-cheap quarterback?

Again, the Niners didn’t plan on any of this. Purdy’s selection was a lark. The team already had three quarterbacks — including its quarterback of the present and future — when he was picked.

And with that last pick in the NFL draft came the NFL draft’s smallest contract.

Every rookie drafted enters the league with a defined salary commensurate with his pick. Had Purdy been an undrafted free agent, the free market likely would have put him in a position to demand a larger contract and a shorter term than the one he landed with the 49ers.

Instead, Purdy signed a prescribed four-year deal worth $3.7 million.

That’s the total, not per year.

The NFL salary cap was $208.2 million this season. Purdy was paid $724,253 per OverTheCap.com. He’s one of the only guys on the team who will truly notice when the playoff bonus direct deposits hit checking accounts.

And next season, even after this incredible run, Purdy will make $889,253 — 0.4 percent of the cap.

Purdy won’t make more than $1 million in base salary ($1.11 against the cap) until 2025, the final year of his rookie contract.

Having the most important player on the field also be so inexpensive puts the 49ers in a position never before seen in the NFL. The team with arguably the NFL’s best roster now has immense financial flexibility.

They could move on from Lance and find a cheaper backup option. But even if the Niners maintain the original plan for 2023 — Lance and Purdy as the team’s two quarterbacks, albeit in flipped roles — it will only cost the team $10.1 million against the salary cap.

For reference, five quarterbacks are set to make $40 million-plus next season. And half of the starting quarterbacks in the league are set to make more — individually — than the entire 49ers’ quarterback room in 2023.

The Niners are estimated to have $17.6 million in salary cap space heading into next season, per OTC. Add in a few contract restructurings and extensions — Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Fred Warner stand out there — and the Niners will be in a prime position to bring back free agents Mike McGlinchey, Jimmie Ward, Jake Brendel, and Emmanuel Moseley with ease, and sign upgrades at backup tight end and defensive end.

Purdy made the Super Bowl or bust 49ers a better team this season.

And while Purdy as the starting quarterback was never the plan, his emergence as the team’s QB1 puts the Niners in a position to be even better next season.

One of the NFL’s hottest head coaching candidates, Ryans, 38, has interviews scheduled with Denver and Houston and is also expected to talk with Indianapolis and Arizona.

That’s four of the five teams currently with vacancies. The Carolina Panthers are the fifth.

The 49ers learn Monday night whether they’ll host Dallas or Tampa Bay in the divisional round following a 41-23 win over Seattle in the wild-card round. Game time will be 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

Coach Kyle Shanahan is fine with Ryans planning for the future while at the same time putting everything he has into the present.

“My advice is you’ve got to set that aside and set some specific times that you are going to deal with it,” Shanahan said Monday during a conference call.

Ryans, however, didn’t have the luxury of a bye week as Shanahan did as offensive coordinator of the Falcons when he interviewed with the 49ers during the 2016 postseason.

“We got three days off, I was able to set aside two days for those interviews, I knocked ’em all out and then there wasn’t anything after that,” Shanahan said. “I completely shut it off and went back to the playoffs.”

After declining a second interview last offseason with the Minnesota Vikings, who eventually hired Kevin O’Connell, Ryans made it clear last week he was interested in going further in the process this time around.

“There’s a lot of scenarios, a lot of situations that come up throughout the year,” Ryans said. “Not just looking at it from a defensive perspective, but looking at it from a total team perspective and just being able to sit and listen to conversation that enhance my knowledge — not just on defense, but the overall. I feel really good at where I am right now.”

Shanahan said interviews with Denver and Houston are expected Thursday, with Indianapolis and Arizona likely to follow on Saturday, and that it won’t affect Ryans’ focus on either Dallas or Tampa Bay.

“Friday afternoon we get some time off, it shouldn’t cut into anything, and usually on Thursdays we finish a little earlier than we do other nights of the week so it’s a chance to do that Thursday night,” Shanahan said. “When you set aside time for that, it’s a lot for DeMeco to prepare for but I think he is prepared for it. When you’re done with those you go back to the most important thing at hand and that’s us finding a way to win on Sunday.”

Wasted prep time

At least half of the preparation done by 49ers coaches Monday will go straight to the waste basket once it’s determined Sunday’s opponent will be Dallas or Tampa Bay.

“We’ll get ahead watching a lot of film on Dallas and Tampa and we’ll have watched enough on both teams we’re just waiting on the game,” Shanahan said. “So we’ll probably just sit back and relax when that starts and watch the TV copy like a normal person and then get back to work before we start on Tuesday.”

The Purdy rebound

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy sailed his first pass over the head of Deebo Samuel and ended the first half completing just nine of 19 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. In the second half, Purdy was 9 of 11 for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

“There were a couple of plays he just missed,” Shanahan said. “I know when that happens it sticks out. When you only have a couple of misses, you really don’t need to panic. Brock’s an accurate thrower, he’s been doing that all year and playing well. I don’t think there’s much of an explanation for it, just for us to settle down a bit and give him a few more opportunities. He got those in the second half and was pretty lethal with them.”

With the 49ers averaging 8.3 yards per snap in the first half (249 yards on 30 plays), the concern was settling for 34- and 33-yard Robbie Gould field goals rather than getting the offense in gear.

Things stabilized on the opening drive of the second half when the 49ers drove 75 yards in 13 plays to score on Purdy’s 1-yard run.

“If we keep getting field goals, then we’re going to have to be dependent on them not scoring the rest of the game to try to win, and we don’t want to have to be dependent on that,” Shanahan said. “I think coming out, first drive of the third quarter, slowing things down and going on a good drive, that was a huge deal for us and it took off from there.”

The squib kick

Almost forgotten in the 49ers avalanche was a regrettable end to the first half after Gould’s third field goal put the 49ers up 16-14 with 13 seconds to play.

Rather than kick deep, Gould’s squib kick was fielded at the 24 by Colby Parkinson and returned to the 38-yard line. Geno Smith scrambled for nine yards, Jimmie Ward hit the sliding quarterback for a personal foul, and the Seahawks ended the half with a 56-yard field goal by Jason Myers for a 17-16 lead.

The object of the squib kick was to burn additional clock time, but the end result will probably have Shanahan leaning toward kicking it deep the next time.

“It ended up being a real bad decision, I thought,” Shanahan said. “They got it at the (38) and needed just one mistake by us, one one big play by them and they’re in field goal range. And we made the mistake with that personal foul.”

Kinlaw’s surprise contribution

Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw played 30 snaps and has been a valuable piece of defensive line depth — one Shanahan said he wasn’t really counting on as the season wore on.

Kinlaw, a first-round draft pick in 2021, opened the season as the starter but was out of the lineup by Week 3 and beset by setbacks during rehab. He returned in Week 16 and has joined Arik Armstead at defensive tackle to fortify the 49ers’ in the middle.

“Everyone knows the expectations that were in Kinlaw and the huge setback he’s had with his injuries. And I really didn’t believe he was going to come back at all this year with what he’s gone through,” Shanahan said. “To get him back and add some depth to our D-line, and watch him get better each week, he’s helped us in the run game and is having an impact in the pass game.”

Injury outlook

The injury report coming out of the Seattle game was light as expected. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings and defensive end Samson Ebukam are both day-to-day with ankle injuries.

No one is going to talk about it much, for fear of the other shoe dropping to the turf after the loss of a key player.

But let’s face it: A franchise that in some years has considered itself cursed has become blessed when it comes to a factor that can make or break a season.

How blessed are the 49ers when it comes to injuries?

Have you ever heard of a team that lost two starting quarterbacks in the same season and then got better once they were replaced?

That’s right. Got better. Improved. Saw the quality of offensive play elevated to something where it wasn’t moments before.

That is no knock on Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance, after a small sample size, looked as if there were some growing pains on the horizon before going out in Week 2 against Seattle with a broken ankle.

Enter Garoppolo, who finished off the Seattle game as if he hadn’t actually missed all of training camp, predictably receded in a Week 3 11-10 loss to Chicago, and then guided the 49ers to an 8-4 record before breaking his foot against Miami.

Enter Brock Purdy, and you know how that’s going after a 41-23 wild card round win over Seattle Saturday. at Levi’s Stadium.

Purdy stared down the zero-blitzing Dolphins on Dec. 4 and has been a revelation ever since not only with his ability to execute Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but with a creativity that was foreign to either of his predecessors.

Give Shanahan credit for adjusting his offense on the fly from Lance to Garoppolo and Garoppolo to Purdy. The 49ers were smart to hold on to Garoppolo in camp rather than set him free, because who knows when Purdy was actually ready to do what he’s doing now?

But a lot of it is simply good luck, and it’s spread all over the roster. The only starter lost for the season was cornerback Emmanuel Moseley with a torn ACL on Oct. 9 in Carolina. It was and is a significant loss.

That’s been the extent of it though, as injured 49ers have not only come back, but returned in top form. Going into the Seattle game, the 49ers weren’t sure if guard Aaron Banks (knee/ankle) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (back) would be available. Banks played every snap and Greenlaw missed one.

That’s the way it’s gone for the 49ers in 2022, with a roll call of wounded players who came back to contribute:

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel: Samuel was disconsolate when taken off on a cart on Dec. 11 against Tampa Bay, thinking he was done for the year. He ended up missing three games with MCL and ankle sprains and caught six passes for 133 yards and a 74-yard touchdown against Seattle. It was his best game of the season.

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead: Missed seven games with a stress fracture near his left ankle and plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Didn’t play from Oct. 3 to Dec. 4 and has been a towering anchor at 6-foot-7, 290 pounds ever since. Mr. Inside to Nick Bosa’s Mr. Outside.

Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw: Ended last season on injured reserve with a chronically bad knee which required surgery. Went back on on I.R. after Week 3 and didn’t return until Week 16. Played 30 snaps against Seattle and recovery has been a pleasant surprise.

Offensive tackle Trent Williams: When Williams went down in Week 3 in Denver, the 49ers immediately feared the worst. But instead of an ACL sprain, Williams had a high ankle sprain. Usually a six- to eight-week injury, Williams was back after missing three games and was a first-team All-Pro for the second straight year.

Tight end George Kittle: Kittle came out of training camp with a groin strain, missed the first two games of the season and wasn’t himself upon return. But the current version of Kittle has improved steadily and is much healthier than the one who went into the playoffs a year ago. The explosion is back and he’s got a strong connection with Purdy with seven touchdown receptions in the last four regular season games.

Defensive back Jimmie Ward: The 49ers free safety joined Kittle on the sidelines with a hamstring strain to open the season. In the meantime, the 49ers signed Tashaun Gipson, who played well enough along with Talanoa Hufanga that it pushed Ward to nickel back upon return. Ward immediately broke his hand covering a kick in Week 5. He missed just one more game.

Running back Elijah Mitchell: Has been on I.R. with an MCL strain not once, but twice, and returned both times. Ability to shed tackles and produce inside is evident when healthy. Has 279 yards and averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Had a rough go on the ground against Seattle (nine carries, two yards) but caught two passes for 25 yards, one which set up a touchdown and other a 7-yard touchdown.

Offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey: A torn quadriceps cost McGlinchey the final nine games of the 2021 season as well as the postseason. The injury was serious enough he was by no means a sure thing during training camp, but he hasn’t missed a game this season, and he’s overcome a rib injury in the process.

That list doesn’t even include players such as linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and reserve lineman Colton McKivitz, both of whom had four-game stints on I.R. and are back in the fold.

Although not quite as dramatic as what’s happened with the quarterbacks, the injuries to Mitchell and Ward actually improved the team rather than detract from it.

Mitchell’s first absence helped push the 49ers toward taking a serious look at trading for Christian McCaffrey, who became the dominant offensive player down the stretch. If Mitchell was churning out yardage with Jeff Wilson Jr. in reserve, there’s no guarantee the 49ers depart with all those draft picks to bring in McCaffrey.

Of course, McCaffrey arrived with his own injury questions, having missed 22 games over the previous two years. He hasn’t missed a game.

In Ward’s case, it forced the 49ers to start Gipson alongside Talanoa Hufanga and put the veteran in a position as nickel corner to play a position where he can make more of an impact than at free safety.

Both times, adversity in the form of injury actually made the 49ers a stronger team rather than a weaker one.

Now it’s up to the 49ers to capitalize on all this good fortune.

“Whoever they put in front of us, it’s another step, another test,” left tackle Trent Williams said after Saturday’s wild-card win over the Seattle Seahawks.

The No. 2-seed 49ers (14-4) will host a divisional-round game Sunday at 3:30 p.m., against the winner of tonight’s game between the No. 5-seed Dallas Cowboys (12-5) and No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9).

It’ll be a rematch one way or another. The 49ers clobbered the Bucs 35-7 last month, when Brock Purdy became the first rookie quarterback to win his first start against Tom Brady. A year ago, the 49ers won at Dallas 23-17 in a wild-card playoff game.

Who to root for if you are a 49ers’ fan? It may seem obvious (“Back for more already, Bucs?!”) or historical heartstrings could tug at you (“The Catch” and much more).

Let’s scout out what intriguing storylines await for each matchup:

49ERS VS. COWBOYS

This would be their ninth playoff meeting, and second in as many years.

The 49ers barely escaped Dallas last January en route to their next playoff win In Green Bay. It came down to the wire, with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott scrambling 17 yards up the middle and sliding down at the 49ers’ 24-yard line. It ate up precious seconds, and an ensuing spike killed the final second, to which Cowboys’ fans threw trash on the field in their disgust.

Home playoff wins over Dallas carved the 49ers’ path to their first Super Bowl triumph in the 1981 season (see: “The Catch” by Dwight Clark for the go-ahead touchdown in the NFC Championship Game), as well as their most recent Super Bowl-winning season back in 1994 (see: Steve Young’s victory lap around Candlestick after dispatching the two-time reigning champs).

The Cowboys won the other five playoff matchups, but that won’t inspire your rooting interest tonight, so onward to look at the here and now.

Two of the NFL’s best defenders this season would share the field: the 49ers’ Nick Bosa and the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, both of whom made AP First Team All-Pro last week. Bosa was forced out of last year’s playoff matchup by halftime with a concussion.

When it comes to other honors, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey can take out frustrations over his Pro Bowl snub by outperforming the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard, who is one of the NFC’s three Pro Bowl backs.

No 49ers-Cowboys contest can by hyped without acknowledging the quarterbacks. Prescott’s counterpart this time around would be Purdy, who’s been amazingly efficient, mobile and cunning in seven wins since replacing the still-injured Jimmy Garoppolo.

49ERS VS. BUCS

Um, about that reception line of 49ers who gathered postgame Dec. 11 to shake Brady’s hand — and, in Dre Greenlaw’s case, get him to autograph footballs that he and Tashaun Gipson intercepted. Yeah, thanks for that. Now welcome back to play more ‘ball.

Could this truly be Brady’s grand finale, a year after he tested out retirement before returning to the Bucs?

Brady is a San Mateo native, and like any good Bay Area son, he despises the Cowboys. If he beats them tonight, he’ll own an 8-0 record against them.

The 49ers and Bucs have met only once in the playoffs: the 2002 season’s divisional round. That 31-6 loss at Tampa Bay marked the end of Steve Mariucci’s coaching tenure. It took nine seasons for the 49ers to return to the playoffs.

Last month, the 49ers raced to a 28-0 halftime lead against a Tampa Bay squad coming off a Monday night win. Brady was 34-of-55 for 253 yards, but he had passes intercepted by Gipson and Greenlaw on the Bucs’ first two series after halftime.

Purdy won over skeptics (16-of-21, 185 yards) but he also got hurt (ribs), as did Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee). Offensively, the 49ers had 404 yards, with 209 coming on 36 carries. Their touchdowns came from McCaffrey (27-yard catch, 38-yard run), Samuel (13-yard run), Purdy (2-yard run), and Brandon Aiyuk (32-yard run).

Look, if the Bucs make it back to Levi’s Stadium, this will speak not only to Brady’s seven-ring collection but the Bucs’ playoff persistence. Their 2020 team won three road games in the NFC playoffs before dethroning the Chiefs in the Super Bowl; last season, the Bucs downed the Eagles before falling 30-27 to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Rams.

Right tackle Tristan Wirfs is the only Bucs’ player to earn All-Pro honors (second-team). In comparison, the Cowboys saw Parsons and right guard Zack Martin make first-team All-Pro, and that duo was among their seven Pro Bowl selections (Pollard, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Trevon Diggs, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, return specialist KaVontae Turpin).

The winner of the Dallas-Tampa Bay game will come to Levi’s Stadium next Sunday. Kickoff will be 3:30 p.m. (Pacific)

The 49ers did not play the Cowboys this season, but they met in the playoffs a year ago, with the 49ers winning 23-17 in Dallas.

Tampa Bay came to Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 11 and left with a 35-7 defeat. Tom Brady, in what then loomed as his last visit home as a player, had one of the worst games of his 22-year career. The numbers, bad as they were — – 34 of 55 for 253 yards, two interceptions — didn’t begin to tell the story.

The 49ers, with Brock Purdy making his first NFL start, rolled up 209 yards on the ground. Christian McCaffrey carried 14 times for 119 yards. Purdy was 16 of 21 for 185 and two touchdowns.

These two teams haven’t been archrivals for a while now. One could make the case that true hatred between the two teams left when Jim Harbaugh and the Niners “mutually agreed” to end his time on the sidelines in Dec. 2014.

Even in 2019, the regular-season finale where the division was on the line didn’t carry much vitriol.

And maybe I imagined it, but didn’t we just spend a whole season declaring that the Niners vs. Rams was the NFL’s new “it” rivalry?

No, the Seahawks and 49ers went into Saturday’s playoff game as mere divisional rivals. There’s no love between the two teams, but I doubt that either team is obsessed with beating the other — the hallmark of a great rivalry.

That might have changed after Saturday’s game.

Safety Johnathan Abram was a dirty player with the Raiders for the first three years of his career. Now on his second team, the Seahawks, it’s clear little has changed.

And his dirty play Saturday might be where the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry was restored to something close to its former glory.

Early in the third quarter Saturday, with Seattle up 1, Deebo Samuel picked up a first down, broke three tackles, and pushed the ball deep into Seattle territory.

Abram came across the field to tackle Samuel, ending the play at the Seattle 15-yard line. But after Samuel was brought down, and Abram disengaged from the tackle, the Seahawks’ safety grabbed Samuel’s ankle, lifted the wide receiver’s leg, and, according to Niners’ players, including Samuel, twisted.

Samuel was in his second game back from an MCL strain that sidelined him for four games.

There was no flag on the play, but the Niners players and coaches flagged it in their minds — they won’t soon forget it.

“I think anger kind of took over,” George Kittle said. “I don’t know why you’d ever want to piss off Deebo. If you’re going to do that to him, you’re just going to piss off Trent Williams, whose one of the scariest people on the football field. you’re going to fire up our defense and get our entire team fired up. I don’t know what the point of that is.

That definitely influenced us and made us a bit angrier and a little meaner. It was definitely a poor decision on their point.”

The Niners got the last laugh Saturday, but in the years to come, there should be plenty more serious competition between the Niners and Seahawks.

So many — including myself — believed the Seahawks would be terrible this season after they traded away quarterback Russell Wilson to the Broncos for tight end Noah Fant and draft picks.

Instead, it was the Broncos who were terrible. As a result, the Seahawks, despite making the playoffs, will have the 5th pick in the draft (and also the 38th) courtesy of the Broncos. With the addition of their own picks, the Seahawks will have five of the first 84 picks. That’s a lot of young, cheap talent. It’s also a lot to offer in a trade this offseason.

The Seahawks are also estimated to have the sixth-most salary cap space in the NFL this upcoming offseason. They will be able to spend to their heart’s desire.

That’s a lot of ways to improve an already good team.

Clearly, the Seahawks’ brass knows what it’s doing. Under Pete Carroll, Seattle has posted three losing seasons in 12 years — one of those sub-.500 seasons, they won the division.

So whether Geno Smith is at quarterback next year or not, the Seahawks are positioned for bigger and better things in the future.

That means they’re set on a collision course with the Niners, who have haphazardly found stability at quarterback — exceptionally inexpensive stability, at that — with Brock Purdy.

It’s easy to imagine more playoff-like regular-season games — a la the 2019 season — between the 49ers and Seahawks.

Perhaps a few more actual playoff games, too.

And while a true rivalry requires more than one moment for fuel, the Niners and Seahawks might just look back at Abram’s leg twist as kindling for this new flame.

“Those guys…” Brandon Aiyuk said of the Seahawks. “We just love beating them.”