The NFL's regular season is over, which for most teams, means it's time to start figuring out plans for the offseason.



NFL free agency is a huge part of the process, and along with the NFL Draft, it has everyone preparing for what should be a very active couple of months.

We've officially come up with our own contract projections for the NFL's top free agents that include context behind each player's 2023 season, the likelihood of a franchise tag, the projection itself, and the first-year cap hit for a team that's “all-in” and is needing to reduce that first-year hit in order to maximize their cap dollars.

So, without further ado, let's check out the projection for San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Sam Darnold.

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Sam Darnold 2024 Contract Projection

Remember the old “N ‘if’ L” animated shorts by Dave Dameshek, where he explored how the NFL universe could have been altered if some key moment in history had gone a different way? If he was still making that excellent content, a great segment would have been “What if Sam Darnold played in Kyle Shanahan’s offense?”

Contrasting Brock “Mr. Irrelevant” Purdy, the primary benefactor to Shanahan’s brilliant offensive mind and the plethora of weapons at his disposal, to a player of Sam Darnold’s draft pedigree and prior hype seems like a brilliant hypothetical to explore, and here we saw it play out in front of us.

Darnold signed with the 49ers in the 2023 offseason as a reset from the chaos he endured in the first five years of his career with the Jets and Panthers. He went to a team that saw Jimmy Garappolo play exceptionally well when healthy, and rode the last pick of the 2022 draft to the NFC Conference Championship.

Darnold took a decent snap share in two losses, one as a starter. Although he looked serviceable, Darnold didn’t showcase potential as a viable starter in the NFL. He did look the part of an NFL backup quarterback, providing zero distractions while able to contribute a yeoman’s performance in a pinch. Expect Darnold to take a similar backup-valued contract in 2024 as he continues to attempt to improve until the next opportunity comes his way.

And for what it’s worth – this real-life hypothetical provided a little more evidence that Purdy’s an excellent quarterback in his own right, and deserves his share of credit for San Francisco's success.

• Franchise Tag Likelihood: Low
• Projected Contract: 1 year, $5M, $5M APY, $4M GTD
• Year One Cap Hit: $2.2M

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Be sure to check back in and around the site for more projections, as we will add more in the coming days and weeks.

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