Super Bowl: Sam Darnold goes from struggling as a Jet to simulating Patrick Mahomes on 49ers' scout team
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 28: Sam Darnold #14 of the San Francisco 49ers warms-up prior to a game against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images
LAS VEGAS — Sam Darnold wishes things had gone much differently with the Jets. He wishes they had won more and that he had been the quarterback who led them to their second Super Bowl.
Instead, Darnold has reached the Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers as Brock Purdy’s backup.
“I envisioned going deep in the playoffs with New York and being able to make a run at a Super Bowl,” Darnold said Monday. “That’s what you dream of as a kid. Right when I got drafted with the Jets and still to this day, it’s my goal to be able to bring a championship somewhere.
“At the same time, you kind of understand what it takes. Even in the backup role like I am right now, you understand more what it takes to actually make it here and actually get it done and not just dream of it and envision it. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice.”
Darnold probably learned from all the losing he experienced with the Jets and Panthers as he plays for a franchise that puts a premium on winning. The 49ers are in their second Super Bowl in five years and have reached the conference championship game four times in that span.
“They’re just top to bottom, just the communication and the organization as a whole — it’s funny, but how organized the entire organization is,” Darnold said. “Everyone’s on the same page. It’s what I noticed when I first got here.”
The Jets traded up in the 2018 draft to take Darnold with the No. 3 pick. They believed he would be their long-term franchise quarterback, make them a perennial playoff contender and help end their Super Bowl drought, which now stands at 55 years.
Darnold lasted three years in a Jets uniform and they went 13-25 in games he started. It certainly wasn’t all his fault. His 8,097 passing yards and 45 touchdown passes (and 39 interceptions) rank in the top nine in franchise history.
After Robert Saleh replaced Adam Gase, the Jets dealt Darnold to Carolina for three draft picks. They took Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft. He’s been a disappointment and likely will be traded this offseason.
“It was an experience that I’ll never, ever take for granted,” Darnold said about his Jets tenure. “To be able to go through the ups, go through the downs with that organization and with those coaches and with those guys. You tend to remember most of the good moments.
“Obviously, I wish things would have gone different. I wish we would have won more, obviously. I’m just really excited for this opportunity that we have on Sunday.”
Darnold is in a far different place. His job is to help Purdy and serve as scout team quarterback to help prepare the defense to face Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
That’s right. Darnold is simulating Mahomes in practice.
“Run around and make plays, baby,” Darnold said he’s doing. “Pat’s a great player. I’m going to stand in the pocket, do my thing, see if I can make a throw in a tight window, but the coaches are adamant if nothing’s there, go scramble and try and make a play. When I do get out of the pocket, look to throw but also press the line of scrimmage . . . Try to give them the best looks I can.”
Niners cornerback Charvarius Ward, who played four years with Kansas City, wouldn’t say much about Darnold’s Mahomes impression. He said Darnold gives the defense good work, though.
“He’s his own player, his own quarterback,” Ward said. “Sam was the [third] overall draft pick, so we know he can sling the ball, we know he can zip the ball. He gets some throws in there. It just makes us work harder in practice because we know we’re not going against a slouch in practice.”
Darnold has learned a lot this season playing in Kyle Shanahan's offense and backing up Purdy. The competitor in Darnold wants to be a starting quarterback again. He knows his role this week, but he believes he will be ready if anything happens to Purdy.
“We want Brock to stay healthy and stay on the field,” Darnold said. “But if my time does come, I’m very confident in myself to be able to go out there and do my job.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
