49ers news: Why San Francisco won’t trade for Sam Darnold

As the 49ers quarterback-speculation carousel continues to turn, the Jets’ Sam Darnold has become a topic, but the Niners won’t trade for him.

A few weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers were apparently in on soon-to-be Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Around the same time, the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson was the preferred target.

More recently, it appears as if the rumor mill has included New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.

All this is based on the uncertain future the Niners’ current starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, faces. With it looking more and more like Jimmy G will be the guy for head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2021, there is a need for San Francisco to find some competent backups to support him. Especially with reserve signal-callers C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens hitting the free-agent market this offseason.

With the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, it seems as if the Jets would be much more inclined to acquire someone like BYU quarterback Zach Wilson to give Gang Green a fresh start to what promises to be a long rebuild under new head coach Robert Saleh. And if Darnold is a trade commodity after that point, it’s somewhat understandable why the 49ers could be linked in trade speculation.

On the surface, the Niners could afford to have both Garoppolo and Darnold under contract for 2021. According to Over the Cap, Jimmy G’s cap hit this season is $26.4 million. And with a projected $24.8 million in cap space, currently, one would think San Francisco could afford a post-trade $4.77 million cap hit for Darnold for him to assume the backup spot behind Garoppolo.

But things start to fall apart after that.

49ers won’t trade for Sam Darnold unless the asking price is awfully low

While Darnold, a former first-round NFL Draft pick, has some upside despite being in one of the worst situations for a developing quarterback the past few years, the 49ers would laugh if the Jets were to ask for a first- or second-round pick in return.

Even the Niners’ third-round compensatory selection, the one landed in the wake of Saleh becoming New York’s head coach, would be a steep price to pay from San Francisco’s vantage point.

The reason why any would-be compensation in a Darnold trade doesn’t make sense for the 49ers is what would happen after the quarterback would be acquired.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco broke it down:

"But where things get tricky is beyond this season. A decision has to be made on a fifth-year option for Darnold in early May.The fifth-year option would provide Darnold with a fully guaranteed salary of $18.858 million for the 2022 season. Based on his first three seasons, there is no way the smart play for any team is to guarantee Darnold that money.Therefore, he is virtually assured of being a free agent in 2022."

Teams have a May 3 deadline to decide whether or not to apply a fifth-year option on former first-round players entering year four of their respective rookie contracts.

Darnold’s history, regardless of the context, doesn’t warrant a fifth-year option at all, especially not after looking at what it would cost to retain him.

There are only two ways where a would-be 49ers trade for Darnold would feasibly work. For starters, the Jets would have to ask for nothing more than a late-round pick in exchange, perhaps nothing more than a sixth-round selection at best. And the other would be for the Niners to decline that fifth-year option, instead opting to extend him on a team-friendly deal to both make a trade worthwhile but doing so at a cost that would avoid the near-$19 million in guaranteed money.

Neither makes much sense. Not for San Francisco. Not for New York, particularly if it’s not in a position to rush Darnold out the door at the soonest opportunity.

Either way, there isn’t much of a rush for the Darnold sweepstakes. It’s doubtful any 49ers fan would regret the chance to land the former USC product, who never got his footing with the Jets and is quickly heading to the ranks of being labeled a draft “bust” since joining the league back in 2018.