Joe Montana gives his expectations for Brock Purdy

“I never really try to compare one quarterback to another because the styles are all different,” Montana said. “The one thing you can look at are the things you said — he processes quickly, the ball comes out of his hand quickly, he makes good decisions, and he throws accurately. You can’t ask more of a quarterback. As you can see that system fits him and his style, because he plugged in pretty quickly there.”

Montana also does not think the results last season for the Niners were a fluke. He said he expects San Francisco to make another deep playoff run in 2023.

“I think everybody expects to see them back in the (NFC Championship Game) and hopefully they get to the Super Bowl and they can pull off another victory there. They definitely have the caliber team to make that run,” Montana said.

What should be noted is that Montana was asked back in February which quarterback he thinks the 49ers should have as their starter this season, and he gave a different response. Even if he is a fan of Purdy, Montana felt as of six months ago that someone else would be better for the job.

Purdy took over for the Niners last season after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered injuries. The rookie completed 67.1% of his passes in 9 games while throwing 13 touchdowns compared to just 4 interceptions. Purdy helped lead the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, where he sustained an elbow injury that required surgery.