49ers: Ranking the Top Five Offensive Players Franchise History

Ranking the Top Five Offensive Players in 49ers Franchise History

Aug 6, 2016; Canton, OH, USA; Former San Fransisco players (L to R) Charley Haley and Steve Young and Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice and Joe Montana pose with former owner Edward De Bartolo Jr. (third from R) during the 2016 NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

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Sep 14, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers former players Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, and Jerry Rice laugh on the sideline during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Joe Montana

Tom Brady may have surpassed his number of Super Bowl titles but for a large number of people, when they think of the perfect quarterback, they think of Joe Montana.

The 49ers were able to grab the skinny kid from Notre Dame in the third round of the 1979 draft in a decision that forever changed the course of the franchise.

Montana ran Bill Walsh’s west coast offense with the utmost precision, with his composure coming to the fore in the most legendary play in 49er history – The Catch – and in the game-winning drive he led against the Bengals to secure San Francisco’s third Super Bowl title.

Responsible for the 49ers’ first four Super Bowl titles, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and a two-time league MVP, it is perhaps not overly surprising that when Montana’s Chiefs went head to head with Young’s Niners in 1994, there were Bay Area residents rooting for Joe Cool.

Despite being one of the primary architects of the 49ers dynasty, Montana does not receive the top spot on this list. That goes to the man on the end of so many of both his and Young’s passes.