John Lynch Has Brutally Honest Admission On 49ers Signing

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to a game against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Levi’s Stadium on January 22, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

Sam Darnold will get another chance to revitalize his career for the San Francisco 49ers.

The former No. 3 pick fell out of favor with the New York Jets and faltered when given the Carolina Panthers’ starting job in 2021. He’ll now join a better supporting cast after signing a one-year, $4.5 million deal with San Francisco.

Per Cam Inman of The Mercury News (h/t Pro Football Talk), 49ers general manager John Lynch said he’s excited to work with Darnold. He also thinks San Francisco presents a good opportunity for the 25-year-old quarterback.

“I feel we’ve studied him forever, back when he was [a potential] No. 1 pick and we were looking for trade options,” Lynch said, via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. “He kind of was craving what we could provide: a really cool structure on offense that’s tailor-made for his skill set. That’s what he bought into.”

Darnold has completed just 59.7 percent of his passes during 56 career games, but he posted a 92.6 quarterback rating in six starts to end the 2022 season. He’ll now provide depth to a team facing uncertainty around the health of Trey Lance and Brock Purdy.

If needed, Darnold would enter a much better position to succeed than he’s ever experienced. The 49ers have boasted a strong defense and run game under head coach Kyle Shanahan while rostering a superstar wide receiver (Deebo Samuel) and tight end (George Kittle).