Sam Darnold could be the San Francisco 49ers' Week 1 starter should Brock Purdy not be medically cleared for game-day action. That certainly would not shock anyone. Darnold will compete with still inexperienced third-year quarterback Trey Lance. While Darnold has 55 NFL starts under his belt, Lance has just four, including this past season's Week 2 game in which Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury early on.
While Darnold beating out Lance would not surprise most, one statement by a respected 49ers insider might come as a shock.
"Here's the deal. Sam Darnold might be the most—can I say this—the most talented thrower of the football that the 49ers have ever had," NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco boldly stated Thursday morning on KNBR's Murph & Mac show.
That is some high praise considering the team's history of talented quarterbacks. Although, looking back at the list, guys like Joe Montana weren't necessarily known for their physical skillset but rather their ability to make the perfect throws.
There have been some talented throwers in 49ers history, though. John Brodie's name was brought up as an example.
"Okay. But let's just put him in the very high echelon of those guys who can just drop back in the pocket and throw the football," Maiocco responded. "I think that he hasn't had really any chance to succeed since his college days [were] over. I think he's had like four head coaches in five years, five offensive coordinators in five years. He's a talented guy."
Undoubtedly, the 49ers are the most talented roster of which Darnold has been a part. He's endured playing on some pretty poor teams since being drafted No. 3 overall in 2018. Darnold had an impressive six-game stretch to end last season with the Carolina Panthers, going 4-2 with a career-high 92.6 passer rating.
One 49ers great, running back Frank Gore, played with Darnold on the New York Jets in 2020 and recently praised the quarterback.
"Heck, I was just talking to Frank Gore," Maiocco shared. "Frank Gore popped his head in at the 49ers' local pro day, and he was like, 'You will be shocked at what you see from Sam Darnold.'
"Frank Gore is a Sam Darnold guy because they spent one year together with the Jets, and he just felt like he just didn't have any chance to succeed. The weapons he had, didn't have much in the way of receivers. The coaching has just been a turnstile. He's a really talented guy."
The 49ers have liked Darnold for a long time, scouting the quarterback heavily in 2018 and reportedly considering acquiring him in 2021 before the Jets traded him to the Panthers.
With Purdy's recovery from surgery expected to last until late August or early September, putting his Week 1 availability in danger, it very well could be Darnold stepping onto the football field with his new teammates at the start of the season.
"How this whole thing shakes out, nobody knows, but he does things better than Brock Purdy," Maiocco continued. "He does things better than Trey Lance. But also, Trey Lance and Brock Purdy do things better than him. And Brock Purdy has already had more success than both of those two guys combined.
"Certainly, in talking to John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, it is Brock Purdy's job to lose. And all things being equal, Brock Purdy would be the starting quarterback Week 1 for the 49ers. However, all things aren't equal. And so that opens up a huge set of circumstances and what-ifs that we don't know who's going to be the starting quarterback for the 49ers Week 1.
"And then, if it's someone other than Brock Purdy, if that person just runs with it and plays great football, then how eager are the 49ers to make a change? It's going to be another crazy season."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Maiocco below.
