49ers sign veteran quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency
The 49ers need reliable insurance since both of their current quarterbacks are nursing injuries.
The San Fransisco 49ers have two starting quarterback options in Brock Purdy and Trey Lance, but both players are currently on the mend from serious injuries.
Purdy won't even be able to start throwing until three months from now. That's when he starts his post-surgery throwing progression program. Right now, it's currently unclear when he'll be back to full strength.
Lance is currently rehabbing from a second ankle surgery. He's expected to be ready for OTAs, which is obviously good news for the 49ers.
But it's clear the 49ers still need help at the quarterback position. Even with Lance's prognosis.
And when you consider the flat-out bad luck the franchise has recently experienced at the position, it makes even more sense to sign as many capable quarterbacks as possible.
That's exactly why the 49ers went out and signed former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold on Monday. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's a one-year deal and terms have not been disclosed, yet.
Darnold had one of the best -if not the best- stretches of his career under 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks last year. Wilks was the interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers and had a front row seat to the Sam Darnold that helped the team get within a game of capturing the NFC South lead in Week 17 of the regular season.
The Panthers were 3-8 and dead in the water when Darnold took over as the starting quarterback. A month later, the Panthers were 6-9 heading into their Week 17 matchup with the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All they needed was a win and they'd overtake the Buccaneers for the division lead and a potential playoff berth.
Darnold threw for 341 yards and tossed three touchdowns to one interception in the Panthers' 30-24 loss, which ended their postseason hopes. Either way, Darnold showed enough over the final 5-6 games of the season to where he at least deserves a job holding a clipboard somewhere.
And who knows, he may even get a shot to compete for the 49ers' starting job. No one knows how Purdy will respond to his surgery and if he can pick up where he left off in 2022. The jury is still out on Lance, as well. There's zero guarantee he shows enough to win the job in 2023.
It's a long shot, but this is the NFL. Crazier things -much crazier things- have happened.
