49ers legend Joe Montana addresses Trey Lance trade

San Francisco 49ers legend Joe Montana isn't shocked his former club traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of Lance's third NFL season. 

As shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, Montana explained during a Thursday appearance on San Francisco sports radio station 95.7 The Game he believes Lance may be better off playing under Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy than the 23-year-old was in the system embraced by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.

Lance lost the San Francisco starting job to 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy, and the 2021 first-round draft pick was then relegated to third on the depth chart beneath Sam Darnold this summer before he received a fresh start with Dallas. 

"I kind of saw [the trade] coming when you saw him getting a lot of playing time in [his] last two [preseason] games there, or more playing time," Montana said about Lance. "I think they were trying to give him an opportunity to stay in San Francisco, but in the end, I think that they just needed someone that was a better fit in case Purdy doesn't make it through the season."

Purdy underwent surgery in March to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow but should be good to go for the Week 1 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. 

Questions about Lance being a good fit in Shanahan's offense arose as far back as last summer before the signal-caller suffered a season-ending ankle injury in September. Montana hinted Lance wouldn't have succeeded had he stayed healthy for 18 regular-season weeks. 

"Can he run? Yeah, if you have to," Montana continued about Lance. "But the game is played from the pocket, for the most part, in that system, and it's hard to learn and understand that game when you run, pretty much, I won't say a full read option when he was in college, but he spent a lot of time moving out of the pocket, getting the movement, and that's not the 49ers' style right now."

Lance still has made only four career regular-season starts and remains a project for the future who simply became surplus to requirements in San Francisco due to Purdy's play. In Dallas, Lance should spend the majority of his time learning behind starter Dak Prescott and primary backup Cooper Rush until further notice. 

"He's a great athlete, and I'm sure he's going to find a place that fits for him because I think he has the ability to do it," Montana added about Lance. "I just think he was in a bad spot."