49ers were hoping Vikings starting QB would return to San Francisco as backup

The San Francisco 49ers went into the offseason with only one quarterback under contract.

Last season Sam Darnold held down the backup QB role. Brandon Allen operated as the emergency third QB. The only time the 49ers strayed from this setup was when Brock Purdy sat out the season finale and Darnold started with Allen as QB2. Both Darnold and Allen were free agents entering 2024.

San Francisco’s chances to retain Darnold were slim. The former No. 3 overall pick joined the 49ers in part to rehab an image that had been battered during tumultuous tenures with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. His success in simply existing as the 49ers’ backup for a season put the then-26-year-old on track to score a decent free agent contract and a potential starting job.

He landed with the Minnesota Vikings, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was hopeful Darnold would have no suitors and be forced to return to San Francisco.

“Yeah, I thought it was a real good spot for him,” Shanahan told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday. “And I was happy for him. I was hoping he’d find no good spots and come back here. But I was happy for him. He got this opportunity because Sam more than deserves it. Sam is a starting quarterback in this league and he should run with it.”

Darnold proved his supporters correct in his debut with the Vikings. He completed 19-of-24 throws for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Minnesota’s 28-6 rout of the New York Giants.

The 49ers weren’t able to keep Darnold, and now they’ll have to face him in Week 2 when he lines up under center for the Vikings. Shanahan believes Darnold is a starting QB in the NFL, but the 49ers and their coach will be hoping he looks more like a backup on Sunday.