On the first day of legal tampering, the San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms on a quarterback Sam Darnold contract. The team was in need of a veteran quarterback to be with Trey Lance and Brock Purdy. It was recently announced what the numbers in Darnold’s contract would be. Here is a look at what is known about the contract, that cannot be signed until tomorrow, and why this will help the 49ers in 2023.
Sam Darnold Contract
It was tweeted by Tom Pelissero that Sam Darnold’s contract is a one-year deal. The base value is $4.5 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. This would make Darnold the most expensive quarterback on the roster, but as the 2022 season demonstrated, the team may need a third quarterback that can manage a game. Pelissero also reported that could earn incentives that would max him out at $11.5 million. These incentives include playing time, wins, playoffs, and passer ratings.
49ers’ QB salaries for 2023…
Sam Darnold: $4.5m
Trey Lance: $940k
Brock Purdy: $870k(Lance, however, holds the highest cap hit at $9.3 million thanks to his large 2021 signing bonus).
Still a very affordable QB room
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 14, 2023
While Darnold has a $3.5 million guaranteed, it is still a small price for three quarterbacks on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. San Francisco also had to think about the health of their current quarterbacks. As of now, Lance is the only healthy player. Darnold can compete in camp with Lance until Purdy is fully healthy to compete. If something goes wrong in the rehab process for Purdy, Darnold will be a solid backup that can game manage.
The team will most likely look to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, and a fourth on the practice squad. This is what they did last year with Lance, Garoppolo, and Purdy. Darnold participating, while Purdy is out, gives him a chance to adjust to the team in case the time comes when he will have to play.
Even factoring in Darnold’s cap, the team will still be in compliance with the league’s cap space by tomorrow. Despite being a veteran, Darnold is just 25 years old and will be 26 by the time the league year begins. The best-case scenario for the team is that Darnold never has to play, but it is a safe option if he ends up needing it.
For More 49ers Content
Check out the full list of the 2023 49ers free agents. Also, read here about how the team has restructured Charvarius Ward’s contract.
Read here about the 49ers agreeing to a deal with Hargrave. Read here for this news regarding a 49ers player Gipson re-signing with the team, and also here regarding Kevin Givens re-signing. Also, read here for a rumor regarding Javon Kinlaw.
Also, here is news regarding former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo heading to the Las Vegas Raiders.
For More Great Football Content
Follow us on Twitter at @GridironHeroics for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Football news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
