Young wouldn't say no to Brady or Rodgers joining 40ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers enter the offseason prepared to turn the page from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance. The only quarterback storylines involving the 49ers this offseason should be where they trade Garoppolo, what they get in return, and which veteran quarterback they sign to back up Lance.
But it wouldn't be the NFL offseason without talk of Tom Brady, who is but might not stay retired, trying to find his way to San Francisco. And, let's not forget about the disgruntled Aaron Rodgers, who many believe will be looking to leave Green Bay for a fresh start elsewhere this offseason.
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It's extremely unlikely that Brady or Rodgers will be playing in San Francisco next fall. But it's a scenario that 49ers legend Steve Young doesn't think acquiring Brady or Rodgers is something the 49ers can't pass up if it's actually on the table.
“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 told KNBR's "Tolbert, Krueger, and Brooks" on Wednesday. “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."
As for Lance, Young admits we don't know how ready the 21-year-old signal-caller is, and the 49ers are built to win now.
"Now Trey Lance, we don’t know," Young said. "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!”
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Brady announced his retirement on Feb. 1 but left the door open for a return during an episode of his "Let's Go!" podcast with Jim Gray.
Theories have been floated that the 49ers could trade Garoppolo to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the rights to Brady's contract. Of course, part of the reason the 49ers want to trade Garoppolo and start Lance is to reset their salary cap situation. Trading Garoppolo will clear $25 million off their books. The 49ers can use that money to sign some key free agents and fill in some holes on a top-tier roster. Trading for Brady or Rodgers would force the 49ers to make tough roster decisions elsewhere.
But if the GOAT or the two-time reigning MVP want to come to San Francisco, will the 49ers, who were a handful of plays away from the Super Bowl this season, really say no? Young wouldn't.
