The San Francisco 49ers have been linked with virtually every quarterback available this offseason. Sam Darnold was no exception. There were enough NFL national journalists naming the 49ers when Darnold showed up that it looked like the club could make his great quarterback move this low season. While the notion of that deal perished when San Francisco shifted to No. 3 in that year’s draft, Carolina’s trade for Darnold offered a look at what the 49ers avoided.
It looked like any deal the 49ers would make for Darnold should be one that cost a late draft pick and nothing more. Reports from the Jets calling for a second-round pick in exchange for the signal call were especially troubling, as that move would ensure, however, that Darnold gets another contract with the 49ers.
It ended up costing a second-round pick and more to pull off the former third-round pick from the Jets.
Carolina had no competitors for Darnold according to IFL Rapaport of the NFL Media, they still finished with a selection for the sixth round of 2021, a selection for the second round of 2022 and a fourth round of 2022. This is all too steep for the 49ers, even with the knowledge that they changed three first-round picks and a third-round pick to skip nine places in this year’s draft. Darnold’s price would probably have inflated if there was competition in the commercial market.
Adding Darnold to take him after the Garoppolo era would have felt like a side move that didn’t substantially improve the QB spot for the 49ers. Skipping this trade to begin with seemed like the right call, but the Panthers ’three-player deal to acquire it confirmed it.