The biggest news for the 49ers on the opening day of the free agency negotiating period was agreeing to terms with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, another high-profile, top-dollar star to go along with Trent Williams, Chrisitan McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, Arik Armstead and Charvarius Ward.
The 49ers aren’t afraid of big names and big contracts.
But as OTAs give way to training camp, the preseason, the regular season and beyond, the most significant Day 1 acquisition could be the insurance policy coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are planning on purchasing in quarterback Sam Darnold.
The same Sam Darnold who, like Trey Lance, was the No. 3 overall pick of an NFL Draft. The same Darnold who lasted three ineffective seasons with the New York Jets and couldn’t seize the moment in 2021-22 with the Carolina Panthers.
Darnold reportedly agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4.5 million deal brought a collective groan from a segment of 49ers fans in social media. Yet this isn’t Blaine Gabbert coming in to a helpless situation in the post-Jim Harbaugh disasters of Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, a franchise with little talent and less direction in terms of vision on offense.
Darnold, who turns 26 in June, is a far better option than looking for a veteran, well-past-his-prime, just-in-case caretaker such as Matt Ryan. If Brock Purdy has any issues rehabbing his right elbow and Lance either gets hurt again or is ineffective, Darnold makes a lot of sense.
Last year, the 49ers kept Jimmy Garoppolo aboard as an insurance policy for Lance. They were intrigued enough by Purdy to keep him on the roster but unaware the final pick of the draft could be so impactful. As it turned out, they needed more than three quarterbacks.
With Garoppolo joining the Raiders, this year’s policy is Darnold. It speaks well of Darnold’s long-term judgment that he’d jump at the chance to sign with the 49ers on Day 1 rather than see if he could sneak in as someone’s starter on a bad team in this year’s version of quarterback musical chairs.
Even if Darnold never sees the field, having a year in the 49ers system will be good for his career in entering free agency again next year. And if disaster strikes the 49ers again at the most important position in professional sports, who’s to say Darnold couldn’t replicate what Garoppolo and Purdy did in 2022 after Lance went down with a broken ankle?
Darnold started the last six games for Carolina a year ago and didn’t light up the stat sheet but went 4-2 under interim coach Steve Wilks, who is now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
Coming out of USC, Darnold played with the Jets under coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates. They were gone after the first year, replaced by Adam Gase and Dowell Loggains. Ugh. Next up were the Panthers and Matt Rhule, who was dumped after a loss to the 49ers in Week 5.
If you wanted a blueprint on how to sabotage a young quarterback prospect, it would be roughly similar to what Darnold has experienced through five seasons with the Jets and Panthers.
Darnold is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, a talent looking for a refinement that has never occurred. That should change under Shanahan.
Bringing Darnold in suggests Shanahan and Lynch were fibbing when they talked at their postseason press conference about how confident they were with Purdy and Lance heading into 2023 and that another quarterback wasn’t really a high priority.
It didn’t make sense at the time, given the 49ers, a team that used to carry just two quarterbacks, had four of them hurt by the end of a 13-4 season plus two playoff wins.
Darnold has had little in the way of offensive continuity and consistency, and it’s not like he’s been surrounded by playmakers.
Don’t discount Christian McCaffrey in this acquisition. Rest assured he was quizzed, as was Wilks, as to Darnold’s qualities as a teammate from their time in Carolina. Plus, the 49ers had scouted Darnold out of USC before the 2018 draft and formed an opinion as to his skill set and potential.
This is one of those times I’m going to assume Shanahan knows more playing quarterback in the NFL than I do.
Starting quarterbacks under Kyle Shanahan with 49ers:
2017: Beathard, Hoyer, Garoppolo
2018: Garoppolo, Beathard, Mullens
2019: Garoppolo
2020: Garoppolo, Beathard, Mullens
2021: Lance, Garoppolo
2022: Lance, Garoppolo, Purdy— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) March 14, 2023
Hargrave was a significant and unexpected signing, and the big-ticket items are what bring excitement to the opening of free agency that often exceeds their importance. As Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown told me long ago, “no team truly loses a player it wants to keep.”
The gold nuggets in free agency aren’t those expected to star right away, but those in the bargain bin who can be salvaged on a team with better coaching and a winning culture.
With two young quarterbacks already on the roster, it looked as if the 49ers were going to wind up taking a second look at the likes of Nick Mullens or Nate Sudfeld. In other words, a warm body to fill the role of No. 3.
But if the 49ers learned anything last year, it’s that No. 3 had better be able to step in and play like a No. 1, and keep in mind Shanahan has needed three starters to get through the season in every year as a head coach except 2019.
As the 49ers pursue their fourth NFC title game in five years, Darnold is in the best place he could possibly be to rebuild his game and his reputation.
