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San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Sam Darnold could land on the trade block before October 31.
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey wrote that he sees Darnold as a player “who should be on the trade block” based on three weeks of action. It’s not on Darnold, who played sparingly in two blowout wins, however.
“The string of injuries and poor performances at quarterback in 2023 could lead to the 49ers receiving calls for Sam Darnold at some point,” Tansey wrote. “Darnold is not going back to the New York Jets, the team with the most pressing need at quarterback entering Week 4, but one or two other squads could be interested.”
“The Chicago Bears seem like a team who could reach out if Justin Fields continues to struggle. The list of teams with a quarterback need will continue to grow as the season goes on,” Tansey continued.
A former No. 3 pick by the Jets in 2018, Darnold has 55 career starts through his first five seasons. He was the Jets’ primary starter from 2018 to 2020 before a two-year stint and 17 starts with the Carolina Panthers in 2021 and 2022 before he signed with San Francisco.
Dime from Sam Darnold. Catch for Chris Conley. First down for the 49ers.
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“Darnold seems happy with his backup role to Brock Purdy, but if the right starting opportunity comes along, he might be willing to accept it. Again, the 49ers should not be active in trade talks right now, but if the right team and offer come calling, they can at least consider deals,” Tansey wrote.
However, the 49ers don’t have much depth or experience after Purdy and Darnold. 49ers third-string quarterback Brandon Allen has 15 game appearances and nine starts in his seven-year career.
A sixth-round draft pick in 2016 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Allen didn’t see the field until 2019 as a backup for the Denver Broncos. He joined the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 where he backed up Joe Burrow for three seasons.
49ers Need Quarterback Depth
Regarding quarterback depth, the 49ers haven’t enjoyed the best health at the position in recent years. Former 49ers starter Jimmy Garoppolo sustained injuries in 2020 and 2021, and the 2022 season brought a slew of injuries to former 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, Garoppolo, Purdy, and Josh Johnson.
If the 49ers moved Darnold, that could lead to trading for another backup quarterback or signing one of the few remaining free agents with ample experience.
Sam Darnold: ‘It Just Seems Like There’s a Ton of Answers’
While Darnold embraces being a backup, he also admires the talent and system with the 49ers. Darnold glowed about it before the season in a July interview.
“It just seems like there’s a ton of answers,” Darnold said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast. “Great run game. I mean, whenever you can have a great run game as a quarterback, that’s always a comforting feeling. I think just with the certain weapons that they have, you know, Deebo [Samuel], [Brandon] Aiyuk, George [Kittle], obviously Christian [McCaffrey], Juice [Kyle Juszczyk], Jauan Jennings, like there’s so many guys you can go on and on.”
“They’ve been there for so long, and Kyle’s been able to understand kind of what everyone does well, what they don’t do well, and I feel like every game plan he uses gets the most out of his guys,” Darnold said. “That’s a very good feeling as a quarterback, knowing that the [coach] is going to put everyone in the best position possible.”
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49ers ‘Should’ Trade Veteran Quarterback: Analyst