Before Sam Darnold starred at quarterback for the Vikings and won Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks, he spent a year as the 49ers' backup to Brock Purdy.
That 2023 season spent with San Francisco was critical for Darnold's development.
Darnold went into that season having spent his first three seasons with the Jets before two seasons with the Panthers. And while Darnold did not play much â?? he started an inconsequential Week 18 game against the Carson Wentz-led Rams â?? he said in a recent interview that he picked up a lot from his time in the Bay Area.
"I think for me, it was â?¦ looking at myself in the mirror and just being like, â??alright, this is what I need to do this year. I'm not going to get an opportunity to get a starter,'" Darnold said during an appearance in Tuesday's episode of Bussin' with the Boys. "And I think going to San Francisco, I mean, shoot, you guys saw what Mac Jones did this year. I understood that quarterbacks in that system, quarterbacks with Kyle [Shanahan] â?? you look at Brock [Purdy] and all the success he's had there â??...