It was clear the 49ers were keeping their long-term options open when they signed Brian Hoyer to be their starting quarterback this offseason. The journeyman backup inked a modest two-year, $12-million deal that gives San Francisco a veteran presence familiar with Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

More importantly, Hoyer gives the 49ers a bridge option that won’t prevent them from spending big on a free agent next spring (see: Cousins, Kirk) or look toward the upcoming NFL draft class expected to be rich with quarterbacks.

It’s early, but the 2018 group featuring USC’s Sam Darnold, Wyoming’s Josh Allen, UCLA’s Josh Rosen, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson is believed to be one of the best in years.

Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Wyoming Cowboys throws against the UNLV Rebels on November 12, 2016 in Las Vegas (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

That’s not lost on 49ers first-year general manager John Lynch, who elected to use his first three draft picks this spring on defensive players Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster and Ahkello Witherspoon before tapping Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard in Round 3, who went earlier than many anticipated.

San Francisco had an obvious need under center with Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert not coming back after fielding the league’s last-ranked passing offense last season. Gabbert signed with the Arizona Cardinals while Kaepernick remains available.

“We understand that you have to have a big-time, franchise quarterback to have the success on a year-in and year-out basis like we want to,” Lynch said on KNBR’s Gary and Larry this week.

“I’ve looked at it some, just in studying the players in (the 2018) draft, there’s a quality class coming.”

Lynch was also quick to point out he’s optimistic about his current quarterback group, hoping one his players steps up and allows San Francisco to invest its premium resources elsewhere.

Teams that get strong quarterback play without doling out $20 million per season are at a distinct advantage in a hard-capped league. The Cowboys (Dak Prescott) and Seahawks (Russell Wilson, before 2015) are the obvious examples from recent seasons. The 49ers lead the NFL with over $66 million in cap space, according to Overthecap.com.

“We’re hopeful that it’s one of the guys we already have, whether that’s Brian Hoyer really seizing this opportunity, or Beathard, who we drafted, really taking his opportunity and running with it,” Lynch said. “But we’re going to look at that position each and every year . . . We want to build it with a nucleus of players that fit our mold.”

Hoyer, 31, in his last 17 regular season games (14 starts) with Houston and Chicago completed 63 percent of his throws while averaging 238 yards with 25 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. His 93.7 passer rating during that span would have ranked 12th among starters last season.

“Hoyer has played really good football in this league. I think his biggest challenge is staying healthy, so we’re going to try to do as good a job as we can to do just that,” Lynch said. “He’s had a really good offseason . . . (he’s) got a really good understanding of the offense. And he’s been able to help everybody around here learn Kyle’s system and we’re excited to see him play.”

Hoyer’s 2016 campaign ended early after he broke his left, non-throwing arm in October while filling in for Jay Cutler. Hoyer dealt with a concussion in 2015 and tore his right ACL in 2013 with Cleveland.

The 49ers this offseason also signed free Matt Barkley and undrafted rookie Nick Mullens from Southern Mississippi.