Sam Darnold signed with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. The team was looking to avoid a repeat of last year where they ran out of quarterbacks due to injuries. Darnold offered tremendous upside as a former second-overall pick and head coach Kyle Shanahan has been known to get the most out of his quarterbacks. In a recent interview, Darnold revealed why he chose to sign with the 49ers.
Sam Darnold On Why He Signed With The 49ers
On the Pardon My Take podcast Darnold revealed why he signed.
“Guys are open, I mean, there’s a lot of guys open on dang near every play. It just seems like there’s a ton of answers. 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.”
It’s easy to hit receivers that are open. The 49ers offense is built to take advantage of the weaknesses of a defense. There are so many weapons that they can exploit any group. As long as the quarterback can hit an open man, it is an easy offense to have success in.
Will Darnold See The Field?
Brock Purdy is the favorite to start and if healthy, will be the starter according to everything we are hearing from Shanahan and GM John Lynch. However, the injury Purdy sustained is unknown. It would not shock me if Darnold had to start a game or two at the beginning of the season if Purdy is not fully ready. Given the injury history of the 49ers’ quarterbacks, it would also not shock me if he has a couple of starts throughout the season as well. It seems like a win-win for both sides. Darnold gets a quarterback-friendly offense and the team gets a solid backup in case Purdy can’t go.
Hopefully, Sam Darnold can resurrect his career a little with the San Francisco 49ers. This is his third team in his young career and if he can’t perform in this offense, he will have a tough time in any offense.