Steve Young understood what then-San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh was doing when he traded for the then-25-year-old quarterback. Not only was he getting his quarterback of the future, but he was also adding some competition behind starter Joe Montana.
Walsh believed the competition would make both quarterbacks better, and it did. It may have been awkward for both players, but it motivated them to strive for excellence—Montana wanting to hold onto his job and Young wanting to take over. Young calls it "fruitful awkwardness."
Once again, the 49ers are preparing for a quarterback transition. Jimmy Garoppolo, the team's starter for the past four-and-a-half seasons, will likely be traded this offseason. That will allow last year's No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, to step into the starting role.
What's the plan for Lance once Garoppolo is gone? Young believes the 49ers need to bring in an experienced veteran for the quarterback room, ensuring their young quarterback still has someone he can rely on for advice.
"I think Trey is so raw," Young said on KNBR's Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks. "And I told you this a couple of weeks ago when I watched him ... with the number of snaps he's had in college, it should be very obvious to all of us that there's just not the pure number of snaps, and it's so much about -- I'll call it metering the position, just all of it that you figure out in college from playing tough ball games. The fact is that didn't happen very much. So ... we're going to witness his growth. And who's going to [help with] the growth?
"I'm a big fan of [putting] somebody around you that can push you. So, I'm not looking to not do that, but more than anything, he needs someone older who can tell him 'this matters' or 'this doesn't matter.' 'You better be on this one,' and if you're not on this one, teach him how to study and how to memorize, and how to [have] reflexive recall, so that everything that comes out of him is reflexive, and he doesn't have to think about it."
Young believes that with repetitive reps and study, Lance could evolve into a great starter for the 49ers. However, he still needs that veteran presence in the quarterback room to rely on, to steer him in the right direction when he makes a mistake. Lance will barely be 22 years old when the 2022 season starts. There is no doubt that he will make mistakes.
Lance has further to go than someone like Joe Burrow, who had two full seasons as a starting college quarterback before being drafted into the NFL. Lance started one season and then played in one game in the 15 months before being drafted. He was always considered a project with a high ceiling. That's why he sat behind Garoppolo for nearly the entirety of his rookie season.
Lance is in a good situation, though. This season proved he is being dropped into a roster that is ready to compete for championships right now.
Young added, "This is a team, this is a roster, that can win Super Bowls, and you've seen it. It is absolutely a roster that we should be the best passing game, the best running game, and that middle nine defenders we have? Top of the league. So, let's go do this. Take a few months off, [then] let's go do this."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.