Sam Darnold has a lot to be thankful for. He resurrected his career last season with the Minnesota Vikings. He also just signed a $100.5 million free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
He has one person to thank for that, aside from his agent.
His name is Brock Purdy.
The year Darnold spent with the San Francisco 49ers was a learning experience. He spent five unproductive seasons in the NFL after being the third pick in the NFL Draft. He was jettisoned by the New York Jets and was almost invisible with the Carolina Panthers.
He then signed with the 49ers for the 2023 season. His job was to help mentor Purdy, who was the last pick of. the 2022 NFL Draft. Mr. Irrelevant became the starting quarterback for the 49ers and Darnold was going to be his backup.
Let's just say, the teacher learned from the student.
"I really thank Brock a ton for just his style of play and how he described his style: 'We've got a ton of great playmakers on offense; my job is just to play point guard and get the ball in their hands and let them go do great things with the rock,'" Darnold said at his introductory press conference. "When I started to change my thought process as a quarterback to just getting the ball in my guys' hands, that's where it unlocked for me a little bit."
Darnold also thanked the rest of the 49ers and the Vikings for contributing to his development.
"It's a credit to everything. I can't necessarily point to one thing, but my entire journey has been about growing as a person and a player," Darnold said. "And I'm so thankful it has led me to this point in Seattle."
Related: 49ers Sign All-Pro Kyle Juszczyk Amid Locker-Room Controversy
Related: Is 49ers Brock Purdy Really Worth Dak-Beating $325 Million?
Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 4:25 PM.