SANTA CLARA — The 49ers have two healthy quarterbacks on the roster and Christian McCaffrey is very familiar with the newest member of the group.
The All-Pro running back was teammates with Sam Darnold, who signed a one-year contract this offseason, when the two were with the Carolina Panthers. The two spent the 2021 and half of the 2022 NFL season together before McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers last October.
“I told him it was fun,” McCaffrey told reporters Monday. “We got a lot of weapons here and an unbelievable mind calling plays here. He already knew all that stuff though. He had watched all of that tape and he was a fan from afar. He was fired up to get here.”
Darnold had an outstanding college career at USC; however, he had a tough go as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. The young quarterback spent his first three NFL seasons with the Jets and managed only a 13-25 record while playing for two different head coaches.
After being traded to the Panthers in 2021, Darnold didn’t have much more success until the end of his tenure in Carolina, leaving with a 8-9 overall record. McCaffrey believes that the signal-caller doesn’t get the respect he deserves.
“Sam is great,” McCaffrey said. “He can do everything he can make any throw, He’s smart. He is able to pick up things quickly and do his job. Doesn’t play beyond anything and does exactly what he’s told all the time and adds a lot of flair to it too.
“I got the privilege to play with Sam, not enough, unfortunately, I had some injuries. But he’s another guy who is just a gamer, and he’s tough as hell. He’s played through a lot and never made excuses so I’m happy he’s here.”
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The 49ers brought Darnold in to compete for a role on the team and the 25-year-old will have a lot of time to show what he is capable of. San Francisco will likely add another quarterback to the group to join Trey Lance and Darnold through organized team activities and training camp. Brock Purdy is working his way back from surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament, which he injured in the NFC Championship game in February.
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McCaffrey believes this a perfect situation for Darnold, who has had five offensive coordinators and four different head coaches in as many years.
“I’d say his toughness is something that I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for,” McCaffrey said. “Just knowing the stuff that he went through in New York and then in Carolina, to be able to just keep his head down and continue to work as hard as he did, showed a lot of perseverance, determination and toughness.
“He was himself and that’s all you can ask for.”