49ers roster 2023: Sam Darnold has his last best hope for NFL career

After wallowing for years on bad teams, Sam Darnold now hopes joining the 49ers can resurrect what has otherwise been a floundering career.

Quarterback Sam Darnold probably wishes the San Francisco 49ers somehow found a way to draft him when he broke into the NFL way back in 2018.

However, as is often the case with many signal-callers drafted early, bad teams usually end up being the suitors. And the team that drafted Darnold at No. 3 overall out of USC, the New York Jets, was a bad team at the time.

Darnold's three years with Gang Green were forgettable, although the "seeing ghosts" chatter was moderately entertaining. After being traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2021, things weren't exactly much better.

For what it's worth, both the Jets and Panthers since parted ways with the head coaches who were instrumental in bringing Darnold to their respective teams.

In a strange way, though, Darnold ended up following his interim head coach with Carolina, Steve Wilks, who took on the Niners' defensive coordinator role entering 2023.

Simply by looking at the above numbers, when Darnold re-entered the fray as the Panthers' starter in the wake of fellow quarterback Baker Mayfield suffering an injury (ironically against San Francisco), the former actually enjoyed his best statistical percentages yet.

Now, Darnold can hope a stable organization with not only Wilks but head coach Kyle Shanahan can provide the desperately needed chance to revitalize his career.

Why did the 49ers sign Sam Darnold in free agency?

The 49ers inked Darnold to a one-year deal not long into the 2023 free-agent period in the middle of March at the start of the league new year.

To the casual fan, this might have been a surprise. After all, the Niners already had a promising up-and-coming quarterback in Brock Purdy, who helped them get to the NFC Championship game the previous season, and another signal-caller in Trey Lance who was gunning to reclaim his starting job that was lost when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season.

However, San Francisco's current regime (including Shanahan) always liked Darnold and was even linked to him just prior to New York trading him to Carolina and before the 49ers moved up to grab Lance in 2021.

Inking Darnold could have meant one of a few different things. First, it could have been a spark to reinvigorate Lance, who is no longer viewed as the franchise centerpiece. Second, it could simply be because Shanahan and Co. wanted to get their hands on Darnold after tracing his career all the way back to his collegiate days.

Or, thirdly, perhaps the Niners weren't wholly convinced Purdy would be at 100 percent by the regular season after suffering a torn UCL in his throwing elbow during the NFC Championship bout.

Maybe even all of the above.

How much are the 49ers paying Sam Darnold in 2023?

San Francisco inked Darnold to a one-year free-agent deal worth up to $4.5 million, according to Over the Cap.

$3.5 million of that is fully guaranteed, though, which is a pretty good indication he's a lot more than just a training camp body who'll be released prior to Week 1.

Could Sam Darnold actually start for 49ers in 2023?

During organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, Shanahan split first-team reps between both Lance and Darnold while Purdy was on the mend.

With all signs pointing toward the 49ers wanting Purdy to be QB1 this season, it would appear both Darnold and Lance are competing for the No. 2 job on the depth chart, while fellow quarterback Brandon Allen is also tossed into the mix (as a camp body).

What losing that competition between Lance and Darnold would mean for the loser is a provocative question, as the Niners wouldn't necessarily keep them both.

However, if Purdy isn't quite ready by Week 1 and Darnold ends up beating Lance in a training camp competition, the former Jet and Panther would likely be San Francisco's starter to open up the regular season until Purdy returns.

Read more: 5 Niners who could surprisingly start in 2023

Why 2023 is so vital for Sam Darnold's career

Darnold has always had talent. If he didn't, he never would have been selected within the top three of the NFL Draft.

Now, there's the argument whether or not that talent has been refined properly, or if Darnold is merely going to go the route many first-round flame-outs often go. That's essentially the turning point of the quarterback's career right now: a nurture-versus-nature discussion.

Yes, the Jets and Panthers were bad when Darnold was there. No doubting that. The 49ers are not bad, though. They have a stacked roster on offense, an elite defense and a quarterback-friendly system under Shanahan.

If Darnold can't beat out Lance in that context, it'll be hard to recover his pro career. And it'll be even tougher to land anywhere else as anything more than just a low-end backup.

Needless to say, there is a lot on the line for the 26 year old.

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