Before quarterback Sam Darnold backed up Brock Purdy for the San Francisco 49ers, his career was on the verge of capsizing. Fast forward two years, and he became a Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks.
Many attribute his success to Kevin O'Connell out in Minnesota, but it may have been Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff who turned the former reclamation project into a champion. In other words, Shanahan may have been the architect of his own team's demise in the 2025 NFL playoffs.
In a recent podcast, Darnold attributed much of his recent success to his time as a backup in Shanahan's offense.
"I feel like I got my PhD when I went to San Francisco. That was such a blessing from me [with Shanahan]," Darnold explained.
The former USC quarterback went on to praise Brock Purdy, who learned a great deal from him in the way of preparation and efficiency. As a result, he went on to lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 before signing with Seattle as a free agent the following year. There, he won the Super Bowl and demolished his beloved Niners 41-6 on the road to get there.
49ers could've had a shot at a Super Bowl ring in another universe
The Seahawks were a complete team; that much is true. But it's a pretty safe assumption they would not have been a Super Bowl contender if not for the stellar play of Darnold. Before his arrival, the franchise hadn't won more than 10 games in a season in five years, and the Hawks were struggling to make their "Geno Smith reclamation project" work.
If Shanahan and Co. hadn't developed the head of their snake, San Francisco may have had a shot at defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the following round and, subsequently, toppling the Drake Maye-led Patriots to secure their sixth Super Bowl ring in franchise history.
Instead, 49ers fans will have to settle for their divisional round beat-down to cap off a rocky season marked by injuries and a failure to live up to expectations.
Fans might even experience deja vu, as general manager John Lynch continues to shop around current backup quarterback Mac Jones. When he inevitably changes uniforms, monitoring his success will be something to take note of. After all, folks don't call Shanahan "the quarterback whisperer" for nothing.
With Darnold still at the helm for Seattle, the 49ers aren't done competing against their own creation. Hopefully, they learned a thing or two from last season, however, and will be able to come back with a revamped plan of attack.
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