Joe Montana Talks 49ers, Tom Brady, Super Bowl Ad, Mahomes and More in B/R Interview

San Francisco 49ers fans could be forgiven if they wanted Joe Montana to suit up during the NFC Championship Game as they watched their depleted quarterback depth chart fall to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But it would have taken a lot more than the team could have offered to convince him to come out of retirement at 66 years old.

"I thought about it, but I checked the 49ers' bank account and they didn't have enough money," the Hall of Famer told Bleacher Report while laughing.

All jokes aside, San Francisco's quarterback situation was quite dire in that 31-7 loss. Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were already out with injuries suffered during the regular season, Brock Purdy suffered a UCL injury in the first quarter, and journeyman backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion.

The team had no choice but to turn back to Purdy—who could barely throw—and running back Christian McCaffrey even attempted a pass.

It put the 49ers' quarterback room under the spotlight heading into the offseason, and Montana already made headlines when he told Mike Silver on the Open Mike podcast (h/t KNBR) he would "start Jimmy" in 2023 if the decision was his.

While head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters "I don't see any scenario" of Garoppolo returning to be the team's quarterback, there are still plenty of questions regarding Purdy's health and Lance's readiness after starting just four games in his first two seasons and missing the majority of the 2022 campaign.

With that, as well as Garoppolo's 38-17 record as a starter for San Francisco, as the backdrop, Montana provided further clarity into his thoughts about the situation.

"You have a Super Bowl caliber team," he said. "You have three quarterbacks who are hurt, and you've got one who finished the season who probably should be the starter if he comes back healthy. But the surgery he's having is not the easiest thing for a quarterback or for anyone who throws the ball. So if Purdy's healthy, I think you go with Purdy. But you don't get rid of Jimmy yet because Jimmy wins games for you as you can figure out whether Purdy will be available or not.

"And I'm not sure Trey is 100 percent ready to take over that team yet. Yeah he won some games, but he didn't look as comfortable as even Purdy did. So Jimmy, if you can keep him on the field, you know he understands the offense. If you bring someone else in, they have to learn the entire offense."

Nobody knows more about winning games under center for the 49ers than the legendary Montana.

He is on the short list of the best players in NFL history thanks to a Hall of Fame career that featured four Super Bowl titles, three Super Bowl MVPs, two league MVPs, eight Pro Bowl selections and two years in which he led the NFL in touchdown passes.

The third-round pick out of Notre Dame became known as Joe Cool for his composure under pressure, which was never more evident than when he won all four Super Bowls in which he appeared.

Montana also orchestrated some of the most famous moments in NFL history, including the throw to Dwight Clark for "The Catch" that gave San Francisco a dramatic win over the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 season's NFC Championship Game that came before the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy.

He also threw a touchdown pass to John Taylor in the final minute of Super Bowl XXIII to cap off a drive that started at San Francisco's own 8-yard line and gave the 49ers a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Probably throwing the touchdown pass to win the Super Bowl against the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII," he said when asked what his favorite Super Bowl memory was from his career. "As a quarterback, I did that a million times in my backyard growing up. The other thing is the coach, Sam Wyche, was my first quarterback coach in San Francisco. He's been a long-time friend, and there's nothing better than beating your friends."

It was a highlight in a career that was widely considered the best of all-time from the quarterback position until Tom Brady came along and won seven Super Bowls, five Super Bowl MVPs, three league MVPs and two Offensive Player of the Year awards as a 15-time Pro Bowler who maintained a level of excellence across 23 seasons that may never be matched.

He has more Lombardi Trophies than any single franchise and continually redefined his career with three Super Bowl titles in four years from the 2001 through 2004 seasons, three in five years from 2014 through 2018 and then another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 campaign when he was 43 years old

Montana got to watch Brady from a unique perspective as someone who is in those greatest of all-time discussions and who knows what it takes to play at that level.

"It was fun to watch," he said of Brady's greatness that lasted into his mid-40s prior to this offseason's retirement. "I think the way the game's changed and how they protect the quarterback allowed him to do that … I think he's making a great decision at this point in time because he's had a tremendous career, and he's got a crapload of money waiting for him at a job where he's definitely not going to get hurt. I think this is a good decision by him."

Montana joked about it, but a Fox contract that was reported to be 10 years and $375 million will surely make retirement easier for Brady.

While the days of Montana and Brady lifting Lombardi Trophies is over, the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs legend found a new way to get involved in this year's big game.

He partnered with Advance Auto Parts to help promote the company's "Most Valuable Play" sweepstakes for Super Bowl LVII. Any fan who registers in advance at advanceautoparts.com will be eligible to be one of 25 winners of free gasoline at Shell stations for a year and a $500 shopping spree at Advance Auto Parts if there is a touchdown pass of 25 yards or more during Sunday's game.

"It's just a fun thing to do and be a part of," Montana said. "I have a couple cars I like, and I can't fix them but I know I use Advance Auto Parts. But this promotion is the most fun, something that gives you something to watch for and look for and hope you get picked."

Montana threw four touchdown passes of 25 or more yards in the Super Bowl, but it has happened just five times in the last 10 years. Brady, Joe Flacco, Colin Kaepernick, Nick Foles and Joe Burrow threw those five touchdowns.

It remains to be seen whether Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts can join them in this year's Super Bowl, but Montana made it clear he will be pulling for his former team in the Chiefs.

This is Kansas City's third trip to the Super Bowl in four years, and Mahomes may already be on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats alongside Montana and Brady given his ability to make all the throws and elevate the talent around him.

Yet his health remains a storyline after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Divisional Round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and playing through it in the win over the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.

"I think the biggest question is whether Mahomes will be 100 percent," Montana said. "I don't know how bad his ankle sprain was, obviously it didn't look quite as bad the last game even though he was hobbling around a little bit. He's had a couple weeks to get healthy. I think with the defense in Philly, he's going to have to do some of his magic by running around and making plays with his feet and his arm on the run."

The Chiefs are the ones with the experience, but the Eagles will be no pushovers.

Hurts was 14-1 as a starter this season as a dual-threat playmaker who stresses even the league's best defenses, and Philadelphia won its playoff games over the New York Giants and 49ers by a combined score of 69-14.

"Enjoy the moment while you can," Montana said when asked what advice he would give Hurts entering his first career Super Bowl. "Just remember, even though you can't say it's just another game, it's still a football game. Once the ball gets kicked off, he'll see that his mind comes right off of where it is and what's going on all this week. Then he gets to do what he does best, and that's play quarterback."

It's hard to argue with the approach of someone who won four Lombardi Trophies in four tries.