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NFL legend Joe Montana made headlines this week
when he told columnist Mike Silver on a podcast that if the decision were his, Jimmy Garoppolo would remain the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Montana pointed to the number of games Garoppolo has won for the organization, something that third-year quarterback Trey Lance hasn't had an opportunity to do yet.
Of course, if
Brock Purdy hadn't gotten hurt in the NFC Championship Game, this might not be a discussion worth having. The 23-year-old quarterback would likely be the frontrunner to start in 2023. However, he is facing a six-month recovery after undergoing surgery later this month to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.
On Wednesday,
Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun asked Montana about his comments to Silver and the Hall of Fame quarterback's vote of confidence in Garoppolo.
"I don't hang around down there, so I don't exactly know what's going on," Montana admitted. "If their quarterbacks don't get hurt, I think the 49ers have a great chance of being in the Super Bowl. As good as Philadelphia is, I think the 49ers were on a roll.
"You have a Super Bowl-caliber team. Do you give it to Trey [Lance], who is still young in that offense? Or do you let it get off to a good start - if [Brock] Purdy is not healthy - with someone who understands that offense, and that's Jimmy [Garoppolo]?
"It doesn't feel like, to me, that Trey is 100 percent ready to take over. He would still be in the learning process. Unless the 49ers plan on picking up someone that can fit in right away. I don't know who that would be."
Although, Montana added the following cryptic comment to end his response.
"There's one guy, but I won't say a name because I don't want to start anything. But there's one guy that might be floating around," Montana noted.
It's unclear to whom Montana is referring.
Tom Brady recently re-retired. Aaron Rodgers would likely eat up too much of the 49ers' salary cap, not to mention the draft capital the team would have to surrender to acquire him.
Montana believes both Garoppolo and Purdy have benefitted from head coach Kyle Shanahan's system and a talented supporting cast of star players. With Purdy facing a lengthy recovery time and the 49ers owning a championship-ready roster, Montana doesn't feel the team should rely on Lance.
"We saw Jimmy Garoppolo do the same thing in the past," Montana said of Garoppolo taking advantage of the good talent around him. "So it's hard to get rid of a guy like that until you know that Purdy is healthy. I think Purdy, in my mind, is the starter if he's healthy. I'd say see how Purdy comes along [in his recovery] before letting Jimmy go."
Regardless of Montana's comments, Garoppolo's time with the 49ers is likely done. The veteran quarterback is scheduled to become a free agent on March 15. When asked if he could envision a scenario where Garoppolo might return to the 49ers, Shanahan bluntly responded, "
No, I don't see any scenario of that."
What about Purdy? What did the NFL great see from the young quarterback during his rookie NFL outings?
"The system is great, he fits into the system very well, and he has a lot of weapons," Montana said. "He understands he doesn't need to make big-time plays, but he can make them. The best thing he can do is get the ball to the guys who can make plays. You have
Christian McCaffrey,
George Kittle,
Deebo Samuel, and
Brandon Aiyuk. Those guys can all go the distance. That offense is predicated on spreading the ball around, and he has done a great job of that."
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
George Kittle recently spoke with ESPN during the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, where he joined other NFL stars for the golfing event. Of course, the conversation shifted toward football, with Laura Rutledge asking Kittle to reflect on the team's 2023 season, its Super Bowl defeat, and the motivation it provides for the upcoming season.
The tight end believes San Francisco maintained a competitive roster this offseason and is gearing up for another run at a championship. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good health and continual improvement for a successful upcoming season.
"Brock Purdy is a fantastic quarterback, and he's only going to get better because he's young," Kittle said. "And we were fortunate enough to be able to keep our entire
Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group caught up with Brock Purdy over the weekend as the San Francisco 49ers quarterback hosted his inaugural youth football camp at Levi's Stadium. Today, Purdy and most of his teammates will report to the team for the start of the offseason program, which will be limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation over the next couple of weeks.
While this offseason holds significance for Purdy as he seeks to build upon an impressive 2023 campaign that saw him set a single-season franchise
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
