Former Jets first-round draft pick Sam Darnold has revealed what stood out about the 49ers during his first experience as a free agent, and why he chose the 49ers as his next stop.
“Guys are open minded,” Darnold said of why he signed on in San Francisco for the “Pardon My Take” podcast. “I mean, there are a lot of guys who are open to dang near every play,”
The Jets first-round buster, who was selected #3 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, got his third shot at success in the NFL with one of the league’s premier franchises after failures at Carolina and New York.
“There seems to be a lot of answers,” Darnold continued. “Awesome running game. I mean, whenever you can get a great running game as a quarterback, it’s always a relief.”
Darnold searched for answers throughout his career, and those continually eluded him as he compiled a 13-25 record as a Jets starter until he was traded to the Panthers in exchange for three draft picks.
He has been placed on several occasions as a member of the Panthers, notably on PJ Walker.
USC’s past high-profile search for answers involved blaming “ghosts” when the Patriots’ flashbacks gave him seizures.
Darnold showed some improvement in 2022, going 7-3 as a starter for the Panthers with a 92.6 quarterback rating.
He seems particularly looking forward to working with offensive guru, 49ers coach, Kyle Shanahan and a variety of skill position players around him.
“But they’ve been there for a long time, and Kyle was able to kind of understand what everyone else does well, and what they don’t do well, and I feel like every game plan he uses makes the most of his guys,” Darnold explained. “It feels very good as the quarterback, knowing the coordinator is going to put everyone in the best possible position.”
Darnold will be in open competition for the first job, opposite quarterback Brock Purdy – who’s currently recovering from off-season elbow surgery – and former first-round teammate Trey Lance.
