“I’ve never liked him”: Mike Martz slams 49ers QB Trey Lance

In case there was any doubt, or if anyone really cared, former NFL coach Mike Martz made his feelings about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance very clear. He is not a fan and never was.

During a recent appearance on the 33rd Team podcast, Martz, who spent 2008 as the Niners' offensive coordinator, discussed Lance's performance on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. The former coach didn't hold any punches and slammed the second-year player.

"I've never seen anything about this kid that was encouraging at all," Martz said, per Alex Espinoza of 95.7 The Game. "He really has to plant himself to make a good throw. He's not a quick decision guy. Everybody's shot in the rear about him for being a mobile guy making plays with his feet – he looked like a fullback looking around to stumble trying to run the ball, to me.

"He's not Lamar (Jackson). I dunno what he is. He's not a particularly good guy running with the football, and based on what I saw today, he missed two guys completely by themselves. I know it was in the rain, but quarterbacks do that, you make those throws."

Lance finished Sunday's game 13-of-28 passing for 164 yards and an interception, earning an unimpressive overall Pro Football Focus grade of 53.7. Still, it was only the 22-year-old's third career NFL start.

"I know this – he can only go up, he can only get better," Martz continued. "He can't get any worse than what he did today. I've never liked him. I still don't like him.

"I'd like to know what he does so well because he's not a great passer. He doesn't have good skills. Takes him a long time to set himself and throw the football, misses easy throws. He's not a particularly good runner. Other than that, he's a hell of a player."


Lance wasn't the only quarterback at Soldier Field on Sunday who Martz bashed. Justin Fields, another first-round pick in 2021, received his own share of criticism.

"I'm just shocked, shocked at the Bears," Martz said. "They just took this quarterback, they spent a lot to get him, but 'less-than-remarkable' was the kindest thing you could say about him. I dunno if I've ever seen such a bad performance from a starting quarterback in his opening performance of the season like that. He was just completely awful.

"He really deflated the football team with his performance. When you get a quarterback that can't do anything like that at all, defensively, you shut 'em out basically for a half. You kinda lose hope. Right now, they're a team without hope."