Some would consider this to be a freezing cold take.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold must be impressing during offseason workouts thus far, because one reporter believes the former Jets first-round pick might be the most talented thrower in the team’s history.
“Sam Darnold might be — can I say this — the most talented thrower of the football that the 49ers have ever had,” NBC Sports San Francisco reporter Matt Maiocco said during a Thursday appearance on KNBR’s “Murph & Mac Podcast.”
“Let’s just put him in the very high echelon of guys who can just drop back in the pocket and throw the football.
“I think that he hasn’t really had any chance to succeed since his college days are over. I think he’s had four head coaches in five years, five offensive coordinators in five years. He’s a talented guy.”
Darnold has yet to play a game for San Fran, where quarterback legends and Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young won a combined five Super Bowl titles.
The 25-year-old signed a one-year deal with the 49ers in March.
Darnold — who spent three seasons with the Jets after the team selected him with the third overall pick in the 2018 draft — went on to spend two seasons with Carolina.
Darnold’s one-year $4.5 million deal with the 49ers could go up to $11.5 million if the quarterback meets incentives for playing time and individual and team performance.
In 2022 with the Panthers, Darnold started six games and completed 82-of-140 passing attempts (58.6%) for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and a passer rating of 92.6 to go with 26 rushes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
During the 2021 season, which marked the last time Darnold was the main starter for a team, he ranked 30th out of 33 quarterbacks for completion percentage at 59.9%, per Team Rankings.
In his five seasons with the Jets and Panthers, Darnold went a combined 21-34 in his starts.
Darnold is currently in a quarterback battle with Trey Lance and Brock Purdy for the starting spot in 2023, though you would have consider Darnold the long shot among those three.
Lance, named the starter at the beginning of the 2022, is back from a broken ankle he sustained in Week 2, which ended his season and required two surgeries.
He is set to return for the team’s OTAs, which begin for most clubs on May 22.
Purdy is believed to be the favorite to land the starting job after a successful rookie campaign when he stepped in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, who had replaced Lance at the end of the season.
The seventh-round pick is recovering from right elbow surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament he sustained during an NFC Championship Game loss to the Eagles.
Darnold appears to be acclimating well with his new team.
The San Clemente, Calif. native was all smiles with his teammates, running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle while attending Game 2 of the NBA’s Western Conference Semifinals at Chase Center, where the Warriors defeated the Lakers 127-100 Thursday night.
The NFL players were seen shaking hands and talking with Warriors star Klay Thompson after the game.
