It is an age-old question for quarterbacks who make a roster in the National Football League but are unable to land a starting job: Is it better to wear a cap and hold a clipboard and collect a pile of money, knowing that one injury could immediately create an unexpected opportunity? Or, is it better to get a starting job for a not-very-good NFL organization, knowing that a bad team often means taking more sacks and being subjected to more losing and physical punishment?
That is the dilemma for former USC Trojan and current San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Sam Darnold after the Niners lost Super Bowl LVIII to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Darnold played in 10 games this season, going 28-for-46 passing (60.9%) for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He started the Week 18 regular-season finale when the Niners, assured of the top seed in the NFC postseason, rested Brock Purdy and their starters. Purdy was briefly hurt at times during the 2023 NFL season, which gave Darnold some reps with the 49ers. He was, on balance, decent but hardly special. The good side for Darnold: He got to go to the Super Bowl after years of misery with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets. The bad side: He didn’t get to play much.
For a man who was a No. 3 NFL draft pick and is 26 years old, starting games should matter. Going to the Super Bowl with the Niners was certainly thrilling, but NFL players live to play games, not watch them.
Vikings Wire has mentioned the possibility of Darnold being a bridge quarterback if Kirk Cousins gets snapped up by another team in NFL free agency. Darnold would play 2024 and then step aside in 2025 for the quarterback Minnesota might draft this April. This is the kind of choice Darnold has to make. We will see what happens.
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