Getty 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold
Coming into the NFL offseason, we’ve known all along that the 49ers would be looking at some changes, whether they’d won the Super Bowl or not. Maybe the most obvious spot for change was always going to be in the 49ers quarterback room, where the team liked Sam Darnold enough to warrant letting Trey Lance go to Dallas in what amounted to a dump-off trade last August.
Now, Darnold is set to move on in search of a starting job. And NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported this week that there could be one in the offing—in Minnesota, replacing starter Kirk Cousins.
“(The Vikings) would like to re-sign Kirk Cousins, who is set to become a free agent in March. But my anticipation is that Cousins will have a strong market as a free agent, even at age 35 coming off an Achilles,” Pelissero said. “Minnesota is examining all options in the event that Cousins ends up landing elsewhere. If, in fact, the price tag goes too high, the Vikings would pursue a more economical veteran.
“One guy who is a possibility: Sam Darnold, the 49ers’ current backup here, hoping that he becomes this year’s Baker Mayfield, while also buying them time to maybe also develop a rookie quarterback.”
The Insiders on @NFLGameDay: A look at some of the QBs who’ll get paid this offseason, spotlighting #Vikings free agent QB Kirk Cousins, #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, and #Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
Sam Darnold a Top Backup in 2023
Darnold signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal last March in anticipation of potentially opening the season as the starter as Brock Purdy came back from the elbow injury he suffered in last year’s NFC Championship.
Darnold was the No. 3 pick in the draft in 2018, and his career never quite took off. He spent his first three seasons with the Jets, where the team was an utter mess and he posted a 13-25 record as a starter. He improved with Carolina the following two years in 2021 and 22, and went 8-9 as the team’s starter. The Panthers let him walk, though, and plummeted to 2-15 last year.
Darnold has a career quarterback rating of 78.3 He has thrown 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions in the NFL. Back in September, on the eve of the opening of the season, CBS Sports rated the top backup quarterbacks in the league, and Darnold was No. 3.
Week 18 Opportunity as 49ers Quarterback
But Darnold is 26 and wants to be a starter in the NFL. He got one crack at the job this year, when the 49ers rested Brock Purdy in Week 18 against the Rams. He finished with 189 yards passing and 16 completions on 26 attempts plus a touchdown for a 96.5 quarterback rating in the 49ers’ 21-20 loss to the Rams.
The 49ers looked good in the first half but dipped in the second half once they took most of their regulars out of the lineup.
“I thought Sam did some real good things,” Shanahan said. “He made a number of plays that kept us out there. He did a great job scrambling. He was awesome on his sneaks. The quarterback draw. I think he moved the chains one other time with his legs, made some big throws. … I was happy with Sam today.”