The 49ers have had some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, many of whom are household names, but who makes the top 10?
For decades, the San Francisco 49ers have boasted about having the best quarterback in NFL history, Hall of Famer Joe Montana.
Even after the unparalleled career of the new GOAT, Tom Brady, there are still some quarters that argue Montana is the better of the two teams, boasting a spotless Super Bowl record and an accomplishment that even Brady never managed to achieve, which is never throw an interception in a Super Bowl.
While most have ceded GOAT status to Brady, Montana is still easily the best point guard in Niners history.
But what about the best of the rest?
San Francisco had a number of top-tier quarterbacks under center that stood out above their less successful peers.
Taking into account the honors, statistics, accomplishments and overall impact of each 49ers quarterback, Niner Noise presents the 10 greatest in franchise history.
10. Frankie Albert (1946-1952)
Frankie Albert holds the honor of being the first starting quarterback in Niners franchise history and undoubtedly set a high standard.
Known for his use of bootleg plays, Albert joined San Francisco in 1946 and appeared in 11 games during his first season at Kezar Stadium. Two seasons later, he led the AAFC in completion percentage (58.3), passing touchdowns (29) and passer rating (102.9). Then, when the 49ers joined the NFL in 1950, Albert was selected to his first and only Pro Bowl, despite throwing 14 touchdowns against 23 interceptions.
Albert’s NFL win/loss record dates back only from 1950 to 1952, but he had just 13 wins, 16 losses and one tie.
However, his 10,795 passing yards rank ninth in franchise history, and his 115 touchdowns remain fourth.
No. 9: Jimmy Garoppolo (2017-2022)
Jimmy Garoppolo unceremoniously left the Niners in 2023 after a tenure plagued by frequent injury concerns and limited on-field ability, but there’s little doubt about the impact the quarterback had during a transitional period in the franchise’s history.
So when San Francisco acquired Jimmy G in a trade with the New England Patriots in mid-2017, the team was looking for a long-term answer to solidify its position.
Garoppolo accomplished this despite numerous shortcomings.
Sure, Garoppolo had a stellar offensive line backing him up and an elite defense by 2019, and it’s fair to say head coach Kyle Shanahan has gotten the most out of his quarterback’s on-field presence.
For those who remember Garoppolo simply as a winner who helped the 49ers reach three NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl appearance, the fact that his 13,599 passing yards with the 49ers rank seventh in franchise history may help explain.
Even though he was frequently intercepted by the linebacker lurking under the middle.
8. Brock Purdy (As of 2022)
Maybe in a year or two, we could move San Francisco’s current quarterback pretty high on this list.
After all, Brock Purdy is the final pick in the 2022 draft and he shows all the signs of being one of the best players in the NFL.
Garoppolo’s injury thrust Purdy into the spotlight late in his rookie season, leading the team to a win over Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first start, becoming the only quarterback to achieve that feat in his first start.
Since then, Purdy has led offenses to two NFC Championships and one Super Bowl, been selected to the Pro Bowl and was even a finalist for NFL MVP after his first full season as a starter.
Purdy set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards in 2023 and also led the NFL in passer rating (113.0), in addition to numerous other records and accomplishments.
His star is rising.
No. 7: Alex Smith (2005-2012)
During the first few years of being drafted as the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, 49ers fans were hopeful that Smith would perform well as he entered a scary situation for even the most experienced quarterback.
Smith was quickly losing the trust of then-head coach Mike Nolan as he was replaced by one offensive coordinator after another.
It wasn’t until 2011, with a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh, that Smith’s career finally turned around.
That year, Smith cut his interceptions to five and led the league in interception percentage (1.1). Some viewed him as the epitome of a game manager, but those who witnessed his playmaking ability against the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs that season would disagree.
However, a season-long concussion and the rise of another playmaker on this list, Colin Kaepernick, cut Smith’s tenure with the Niners short after one year.
Still, Smith’s 14,280 passing yards are sixth-best in franchise history, and the 2005 top pick is now deeply revered by San Francisco fans.
No. 6: Colin Kaepernick (2011-2016)
Though Kaepernick has remained the subject of much controversy since his NFL playing days ended in 2016, he arguably took the league by storm when he replaced Smith in mid-2012.
Kaepernick’s strong arm and dynamic scrambling ability won him the praise of coach Harbaugh, who replaced Smith with Kaepernick as the permanent hire, and the 49ers reached the Super Bowl that season with Kaepernick under center.
Along the way, Cap almost singlehandedly beat the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs and might have been named Super Bowl MVP had the Niners beat the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks later.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. The Harbaugh-era 49ers quickly fell apart after 2014, despite making three straight NFC Championship Game appearances.
While Kap’s Niners struggled in 2015 and 2016 and the subsequent major overhaul ultimately spelled the end of his NFL tenure, many argue that his final year, a 2-14 team, featured Kap’s best performance as a quarterback, despite the overall abysmal lineup surrounding him.
He left San Francisco with a 28-30 record, 12,271 passing yards (eighth in team history) and 2,300 rushing yards, a unique record that ranks second only to Hall of Famer Steve Young in those years.
No.5: Jeff Garcia (1999-2003)
Instead of Kapernick, some might choose the next quarterback on this list, Jeff Garcia, but the key difference here is that Garcia was selected to the Pro Bowl three times during his time with the 49ers and held the franchise single-season passing record of 4,278 yards from 2000-2022, until Purdy broke it in 2023.
That would have been difficult in Harbaugh’s run-heavy offense anyway, but Kupp never got close to matching his season record.
Garcia, who cut his teeth in the CFL upstate, was tasked with filling a big hole following Young’s disastrous end to his career, but he ultimately became one of the Niners’ greatest players in a short time.
Sure, being able to target Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens helped, even though the two rarely saw eye-to-eye on each other, but few will forget the near-miracle upset that Garcia and Owens pulled off against the New York Giants in the 2002 Wild Card Round.
Despite his relatively short tenure under center, lasting just five seasons before San Francisco made a major overhaul in 2004, Garcia ranks fourth on the franchise’s all-time passing leaders list with 16,408 passing yards and fifth with 113 touchdowns.
#4: YA Titles (1951-1960)
Generally speaking, some might think that YA Tittle should be ranked third behind the 49ers’ other two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Young and Montana, given that he is the third 49ers quarterback to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton.
However, most would argue that Tittle’s Hall of Fame career was fully established when he joined the Giants in 1961 and eventually won NFL MVP honors.
Still, Tittle’s extensive time in San Francisco before the modern football era is more than just noteworthy.
Tittle only led the 49ers to the playoffs once during that decade, but he still made the Pro Bowl four times, was named to the All-Pro First Team once and was the runner-up for the Associated Press league MVP in 1957.
While the nature of the 1950s passing attack is nearly unrecognizable and outdated today, Tittle’s 16,016 passing yards still rank as the fifth-best in Niners history.
He was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, becoming the first quarterback in San Francisco history to accomplish the feat.
3. John Brodie (1957-1973)
One of the reasons the 49ers chose to part ways with Brodie was because of the young talent on the team in John Brodie, whose 17 years in the red and gold still make him the longest-tenured quarterback in franchise history.
Brodie doesn’t have the Hall of Fame resume that some of the other top playmakers on this list boast, and many would argue that his longevity in the league has allowed him to rank among the Niners’ best statistical totals.
That being said, Brody was quite a dynamic figure in his own right.
Brodie finished with 31,548 passing yards, second most in San Francisco history, led the NFL in passing yards three times (1965, 1968, 1970), and threw more touchdowns than anyone else in 1965 and 1970. In 1970, he led the league in both yards per game (210.1) and completion percentage (93.8), was the only player to be selected to the first team All-Pro team, and won the coveted league MVP award.
Why isn’t Brodie inducted again into the Hall of Fame? Anyone?
Perhaps that’s because Brodie never achieved the team’s greatest achievement — a Super Bowl victory — with his early 1970s campaigns ultimately being thwarted by San Francisco’s biggest rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.
Still, it’s no surprise that Brodie has earned his place as the third-best quarterback in 49ers history.
2. Steve Young (1987-1999)
The final (and first) two spots on the list of the greatest Niners quarterbacks in history are no longer up for debate.
Young is simply the No. 2 pick, but it didn’t look that way when he first found his way in San Francisco as Montana’s backup.
Young continued to live in Montana’s shadow as then-head coach Bill Walsh made controversial decisions to alternate the two, eventually leaving the team as Montana neared the end of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Of course, Young was finally “liberated” in 1994 when he and the 49ers swept the San Diego Chargers in the Super Bowl, setting a new big-game record for a left-handed quarterback with six touchdowns.
Young’s career with the Niners needs little introduction: He was selected to the Pro Bowl every year from 1992-1998, was named to the All-Pro first team three times, was named NFL MVP twice, led the league in touchdown passes four times and led the league in completion percentage six times.
In terms of franchise records, Young has rushed for more yards than any other quarterback and also holds two of the top five all-time passing yards in a single season.
His 29,907 passing yards rank second only to Montana’s Brodie, while Young’s 221 touchdown passes rank him second on that illustrious list.
1. Joe Montana (1979-1992)
Generally speaking, if Brady is willing to shower you with praise and tributes in a highly-anticipated documentary, you deserve to be No. 1 on any franchise’s list of all-time quarterbacks.
Such is the case with Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure, a Peacock documentary series about one of the greatest players in NFL history.
Beyond Young, there’s little else to be said about Montana: He’s San Francisco’s all-time leader in passing yards (35,124) and touchdown passes (244) and is the only quarterback in franchise history to win 100 regular season games.
Oh, and he’s also been to the Pro Bowl seven times and made the All-Pro First Team three times.
But Montana’s Super Bowl exploits are what truly separate him from other players, including nearly every point guard in NFL history.
Sure, Montana has never thrown an interception in a Super Bowl (Brady has six), but his passer rating of 127.8 in the Super Bowl is best among teams with at least 40 pass attempts in such games, and those who watched his game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII often call it the best two-minute drill in league history.
For comparison, Brady’s passer rating in the Super Bowl was 97.7.
Montana may no longer be the GOAT of quarterbacks, but he was still especially special.
