Should The 49ers Trade For QB Sam Darnold?

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be in the market for a quarterback.

A backup or starter is yet to be determined.

It could very well be a starter as QB Jimmy Garoppolo‘s name has been floating around in trade rumors.

Or, they could just be looking for a viable backup given the injury history of Garoppolo.

One name that continually pops up is New York Jets QB, Sam Darnold.

The question that remains is, would it make sense for San Francisco to pursue a potential deal for Darnold?

The answer is yes.

Why The San Francisco 49ers Should Trade For Sam Darnold

Sam Darnold can come into San Francisco and be the potential solution to their problem.

The reason many are hesitant on San Francisco trading for Darnold is because of the cap situation.

As it currently sits, Darnold will hold a cap hit of $4.77 million.

“Multiple NFL sources project Darnold’s trade value to be a second-round draft pick”, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports reports.

Combining his cap hit, along with giving up a second round pick may not sound ideal for a team who already has their backs up against the cap wall.

Although his stats aren’t the greatest, Darnold has shown flashes of potential.

If you want to know why teams are calling the Jets and asking about Sam Darnold…check Twitter tonight, and the nonstop praise for a QB trying the best he can to use his athleticism to run for his life and make a play for his team..

Sometimes the stats dont tell the story…

— Bob Wischusen (@espnbob) February 8, 2021

The 49ers are better off trading a second-round pick for Darnold rather than using their first-round selection on a quarterback.

Not only will San Francisco be able to adequately protect Darnold, but he will also be given one of the best offensive play-callers in the league: Kyle Shanahan.

Darnold spent most of his NFL career with Adam Gase, who was supposed to be a QB guru.

Yet, now Tennessee Titans QB, Ryan Tannehill, did better without him.

Let’s be honest, San Francisco has the weapons on offense.

A good offensive line with solid running backs, skilled wide receivers and arguably the best TE in all of football should be more than enough to judge Darnold.

If they bring him in, he can create a quarterback competition heading into training camp.

If he wins the job, he has one year to prove his worth to a Super Bowl caliber team as he hits the free agent market next season.

Sam Darnold gets a lot of hate, but those who are hating fail to put things into prospective.

Sam Darnold’s Tenure In New York

While he is still a Jet, Darnold has experienced a handful of dysfunction.

When he was first drafted, Darnold played under head coach Todd Bowles — which we can all agree, is better as a defensive coordinator than head coach.

Then, he was taken under the wing of Adam Gase.

Gase — the next proclaimed offensive genus — actually contributed to the downfall of Darnold.

Then, there is GM Joe Douglas.

While Douglas is not afraid to spend his money, the pieces of the puzzle never seem to fit.

Everyone remembers when the Jets signed HB Le’Veon Bell, who was only cut a year later.

My point is that Darnold has dealt with a lot of dysfunction in his early NFL career and it has misconstrued people’s opinions of him.

Asking around on Sam Darnold, and the sense I get from scouts, coaches, and executives is that the perception of him among fans and some in media is significantly higher than of those inside the league.

“He stinks, bro” says one offensive coach. #Jets #NFL

— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) March 17, 2021

How can you make the judgement, “he stinks”, when he’s never had any adequate weapons around him?

Who was the Jets number one wide receiver last year?

Jamison Crowder.

Yet, rumors are surfacing that there are at least 8 teams interested in the USC product.

Most of those teams understand that, given a fresh start, Darnold can really prove his worth to the rest of the league.