Jerry Rice: 49ers QB Trey Lance will 'have a successful year this year'

San Francisco 49ers veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo remained away from the club throughout organized team activities and mandatory minicamp while he recovered from March shoulder surgery, and 2021 rookie Trey Lance took command of the club's offense and reportedly grew in his role as a QB1.

Hall of Famer Jerry Rice is the undisputed greatest-of-all-time wide receiver who caught passes from fellow football legends Joe Montana and Steve Young during his San Francisco tenure. As David Bonilla pointed out for 49ers WebZone, Rice recently spoke with NFL Network and explained why fans should expect big things from the 22-year-old signal-caller this fall. 

"I was running routes for him," Rice noted about Lance. "It didn't take me long to really be on the same page with him. He's got that rocket arm, but he's also got that mobility and that vision where he can extend plays and throw the ball downfield.

"I'm sure, with repetitions on the field, the players really just building around him, he's going to have a successful year this year."

Lance spent the majority of his debut pro season sitting behind Garoppolo and completed 41 of just 71 passes (57.7%) for 603 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Garoppolo's future is now very much up in the air, but Lance seems to be the favorite to enter training camp atop the depth chart.