The San Francisco 49ers Will Sign Sam Darnold to Replace Brock Purdy
The Minnesota Vikings have been on a roll this year, battling for the top spot in the playoffs this Sunday night against the Detroit Lions. Nobody thought they would be in a position this year to make a run in the playoffs, as their quarterback for the future, JJ McCarthy, was ruled out for the season. However, the unlikely hero of Sam Darnold has led his team to a 14-2 record, and are legitimate contenders to win the Super Bowl this season. With the situation with contracts and Brock Purdy searching for a long-term deal, the San Francisco 49ers will reach out to Darnold and sign him for the 2025 season!
It has not been an easy road for Sam Darnold, as he has bounced around to four different NFL teams in his young career. Starting with the New York Jets, Darnold was destined to fail, as that roster was arguably one of the worst the NFL has ever seen. He was then sent to the Panthers, where he, again, had a bad roster and was destined to fail. After singing with the 49ers as a backup last season, Darnold looked like he was officially going to be a bust in the NFL. Darnold signed with the Vikings this offseason and was going to serve as the rookie JJ McCarthy’s backup, but McCarthy tore his meniscus in the preseason, so Darnold was asked to step up and balled out this season.
In 16 games, Darnold has over 4100 yards and 35 touchdowns, which is over 1400 yards better than his best season in New York. Darnold has been in talks for even the MVP this season, unfortunately, this year has been a great year for other guys like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Saquon Barkley.
The Vikings are in a tough situation about their quarterback situation, as they just did spend a first round pick on JJ McCarthy last season. Even with the season Darnold has had, I just don’t see him becoming the starter next year. A team however that will be looking for a quarterback will be the San Francisco 49ers!
The 49ers are a good team and are one year removed from the Super Bowl; however, this season did not go as planned. Deebo Samuel has had his worst year in his career, and Brandon Aiyuk has been out half of the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Even with starting guys out on the offensive side, Brock Purdy just wasn’t getting the job done this season. Purdy had 20 touchdowns to 12 picks this year, which isn’t terrible, but the decision-making all season hasn’t been there. Purdy has also been dealing with elbow issues his entire career, which brings up questions if he deserves a big contract to stay with the team. The story of Purdy has been amazing and is widely regarded as the best “Mr.Irrelevant” pick ever, unfortunately, that story might have to end, and will most likely leave the team this offseason.
Say what you want about Darnold being in the best situation in football. Darnold has a great team surrounding him, with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison being his primary targets. The 49ers wide receiving room as a whole, though, is very similar as they have two guys that are comparable in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers also have the best tight end in football, George Kittle and the best WR3 in football, Jauan Jennings. These are all the tools that Darnold needs to be successful again in this league. John Lynch is going to have to make an important decision this offseason whether or not to keep Brock Purdy. If I am him though, I am going to take Darnold in a heartbeat as he is the most capable player of bringing the 49ers back to the Super Bowl.