Yes we’ve done this before, and yes we’re doing it again.
It was assumed at the end of the 49ers’ 2021 season, in which San Francisco was a quarter away from making the Super Bowl, that Trey Lance would enter 2022 as the starter.
That’s still likely to happen, considering Jimmy Garoppolo is almost sure to be traded. But recent rumblings have linked Tom Brady, who hinted that his retirement may not last, and the 49ers once again. You’ll remember that Brady wanted to join San Francisco before the 2020 season, and some believe that is still the case.
There’s also Aaron Rodgers, who may ask to be traded away from the Green Bay Packers. If the Packers place him on the block, should San Francisco make an offer?
Steve Young has been beating the drum for Trey Lance since last season started. Still, he can’t deny the appeal of going after both Brady and Rodgers, and told Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks that taking a swing is too good to pass up.
“To be intellectually honest, this is a time where if you have a veteran quarterback that’s capable, and throw Tom’s stats up from this year, let’s take 10-15% off for next year, still leads the league probably,” Young began on KNBR.
“Remember I said you have to have an owner, a general manager, a coach, the help on the field. If I said which team for a quarterback are the number one, two, three, four teams that have that, the 49ers are right there. If I’m Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady or anybody — Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo — I want to be here. I want to be there! This is the place.
“If I’m going to be in the NFC and I’m going to pick one of the 16 teams that’s ready, the 49ers are that team. So you ask me that question, what do I think about Tom Brady for one more year or Aaron Rodgers for three years? This team could go win three Super Bowls.
“Now Trey Lance, we don’t know. And Trey doesn’t know. If Trey was ready, Trey would have played. Trey needs to get ready this offseason. This needs to be the biggest boot camp ever in history, to get him ready to be expansive. I told you when I said we’d have to watch him go from two to 10, it’s going to be a process, it’s going to be a patient process, but we cannot wait for that. We’ve got to get him ready, and we’ve got six months to do it.
“But if you’re asking me what I think about Aaron Rodgers coming or Tom Brady…the 49ers are that team, so yes! Yes. I’m not trying to encourage anything, but yes!”
Young believes the 49ers are the most appealing place for a QB in the NFC. So much so, that he also believes Garoppolo should be trying to stay.
“If I’m Jimmy, I’m going to the 49ers saying don’t send me anywhere. If I have a chance to be good or great, the number one place to do it is right here, it’s already been proven. “
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Catch Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks weekdays from 2 p.m. – 6 a.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.