Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: 5 best NFL free agency signings in franchise history

By Titus Briseno

Sep 14, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith (94) celebrates after sacking Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6, not pictured) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith (94) celebrates after sacking Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6, not pictured) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 5: Quarterback Jeff Garcia

Being a quarterback in the league is tough. It is even tougher when your predecessors were Joe Montana and Steve Young — a tandem that brought the 49ers to glory.

A tandem that won a combined five Super Bowls. One Hall of Fame quarterback is hard to follow, let alone two.

Jeff Garcia was the guy in that position. Garcia was the one who agreed to take on this ever daunting task.

Now, Garcia probably won’t don a gold jacket any time soon but the CFL product held his own in the NFL in five seasons with the 49ers.

In three of his five seasons in San Francisco, Garcia threw for over 3,000 yards. The 49ers made it to the post season in two of those years, and Garcia was a Pro Bowl selection in all three.

In relation to other 49ers quarterbacks, Garcia ranks fourth in total passing yards (16,408), fifth in total touchdowns (113) and third in completion percentage (61.4 percent, minimum 1,000 passes).

Though Garcia never reached the promised land, he filled in a gap that would prove to be a major transition period for the 49ers. One player that played a role in the success of Jeff Garcia was another free-agent find, Garrison Hearst.