What Vikings' Sam Darnold learned from 49ers coaches, Brock Purdy

Current Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold enjoyed somewhat of a career reset while serving as a backup for San Francisco 49ers starter Brock Purdy last season.

Darnold recently spoke with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about how his San Francisco tenure readied him for another chance to sit atop a team's depth chart if only for a handful of months.

"I just learned so much in San Francisco, not only from the coaches, but from the players," Darnold told Breer. "The way Brock prepared every single week was inspiring to me. We didn’t leave one stone unturned throughout the week. ...There’s an answer for every single coverage that we have on tape and every single play that we call. That’s what I feel like it’s like in this offense."

The New York Jets made Darnold the third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, but he failed to cement himself as New York's long-term answer at the position before the club traded him to the Carolina Panthers in the spring of 2021. Following two largely forgettable seasons with Carolina, Darnold signed a one-year contract with the 49ers in March 2023 and later won San Francisco's QB2 job over 2021 first-round draft choice Trey Lance.

Back in June, Breer mentioned how Darnold impressed individuals within the Vikings when he completed 8-of-14 pass attempts for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception during a garbage-time appearance in San Francisco's 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night.

"For me, the Ravens game, it was preparation, understanding, 'How are we going to attack the defense?' I think it was also taking a deep breath, calming my heart rate down, saying, 'Alright, I’m going to be able to push the ball down the field. We’re trying to come back in this game, but if it’s not there, I can check the ball down with confidence,'" Darnold said about his performance against Baltimore.

By just about every account, head coach Kevin O’Connell plans to start Darnold over rookie J.J. McCarthy for Minnesota's Week 1 game at the New York Giants on Sept. 8 even though the Vikings made McCarthy the 10th overall pick of this year's draft. If Darnold continues to learn and improve while working with O’Connell, the 27-year-old could keep McCarthy a spectator through all of the 2024 season.