In the NFL world, certain legends hold an important place because of their stature. Their opinions have the highest value, and they take on certain advisory roles in franchises. Such is the current lifestyle of Joe Montana, the former 49ers ace. He recently commented on a college football show about how San Francisco signed the wrong rookie quarterback, Trey Lance.

Joe Montana would’ve chosen Mac Jones instead of Trey Lance

The 2021 NFL Draft marked a shift in the sports landscape. New blood emerged, hungry to take on the new challenges in their young lives. Two of those young talents were Mac Jones and Trey Lance. While we all know Mac Jones took over from Cam Newton and Tom Brady at New England Patriots, Trey Lance flew under the radar and arrived in San Francisco.

The 49ers already had veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the wings, which meant Lance would not get many starting opportunities this season. However, Garoppolo’s injury woes have given Lance those opportunities. Unfortunately, he hasn’t made the most of those opportunities, and has drawn the ire of Joe Montana.

The NFL legend won four Super Bowls for San Francisco, and remains one of the top five players of all time. On a college football show, Montana made a scathing comment about Trey Lance while praising Mac Jones. He said, “I would have taken Mac if I was the 49ers… I think it’s funny, Alabama reminds me of the old USC the way they are producing quarterbacks.”

Does this mean Trey Lance has lost the confidence of Joe Montana? Having the backing of an NFL legend helps young talents find their way in the league, but Montana openly claimed he’d rather have Mac Jones in the Bay Area instead of Lance. How will the rookie QB deal with this insult?

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What’s next for the 49ers?

While both Trey Lance and Mac Jones are part of winning sides, few will disagree that they haven’t lived up to the expectations. Perhaps the weight of the expectations caused them to crumble, but we cannot deny their futures are bright. Speaking of the future, the 49ers have an important challenge ahead of them.

Kyle Shanahan and Co will take on Arizona Cardinals, the former undefeated kings of the season. Coming off a big loss to Green Bay Packers, Kyler Murray and Co will look to destroy their opposition. However, the 49ers are coming off a big win against Chicago Bears. Jimmy G and Deebo Samuel starred in the excellent win.

But the Cardinals present an entirely different challenge to San Francisco. How will their depleted defense deal with DeAndre Hopkins, the free-spirited wide receiver of the Cardinals? How will they stop Deebo Samuel from barreling past their defense? A lot of questions warrant a lot of answers, but we’ll watch it unfold on Sunday Night Football.

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