Joe Montana questions the readiness of Trey Lance

Joe Montana finds himself in a bit of hot water with a portion of San Francisco fans after comments he made during an interview on radio row at the Super Bowl on Thursday.

The 49ers legend sat down with Kevin Clark of The Ringer. During the interview Montana was asked about how he views the situation with Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.

“I think they keep Jimmy until you find somebody else,” Montana said. “I don’t think Trey’s ready to play yet, as myself and after talking to some of the players. I think it’s one of those things that if you can keep Jimmy healthy, he plays well enough to get you here.”

Montana’s comments don’t match the direction the 49ers are taking. All indications point to Jimmy Garoppolo playing for another team in 2022 and the keys to San Francisco’s offense being handed to Lance.

During his end of year press conference Kyle Shanahan was asked what gives him confidence that Trey Lance is ready to take over as the starting quarterback.

“Just being around him all year. I thought he had the ability we saw in college. We knew it was at a different level and we knew we were very limited on the amount he got to play, especially missing the last year of COVID,” said Shanahan. “So, you have to go off what you see on tape and believing in the person, and we did. Having him here for a whole year, I feel stronger about that. He’s got the ability to do it. He’s got the mind to do it. And I think he’s the type of person who can handle all the stuff that goes with it.”

It’s hard to argue with Shanahan’s view of the quarterback. Making only his second start during a must win game in week 17 of the regular season against the Houston Texans, Lance completed nearly 70% of his passes for 249 yards, rushed for another 31 and had two touchdown completions with only one interception in a 23-7 victory.

Lance sat down Friday for an interview with Rich Eisen and was asked if he is expecting to be the starting quarterback for the 49ers this fall.

“Yes, that’s absolutely my goal,” responded Lance. “I’m going to be as ready as I possibly can in OTA’s, training camp and absolutely week 1.”

While Lance will be spending time in Southern California this offseason to focus on improving his throwing motion, he also expects to spend some time with Kyle Shanahan to help strengthen their relationship.

“For me, watching tape with Kyle I think is a big thing,” Lance told Eisen. “Whether it’s tape from my games, tape from Jimmy’s games. Any of the games this year, understanding how he see’s the game and making sure that we’re on the same page throughout the year.”

Lance will go into year two in a situation not all that different from that of Joe Burrow. While Lance made only two starts his rookie year compared to 10 for Burrow, Cincinnati’s success in 2021 could serve as a precursor to what’s to come for the 49ers in 2022.

Does Lance feel he could lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl next season?

“That’s the goal, absolutely,” responded Lance. “The goal, the plan, the expectation, absolutely but a whole lot of work needs to be done before then. I understand that. Definitely excited for this opportunity with this group of guys. We have a real special group.”