Sam Darnold appears to be making a name for himself again with the San Francisco 49ers.

While the headliners for the starting quarterback job are Brock Purdy and Trey Lance, Darnold is not out of the running despite showing little competency as a starting quarterback over his five-year career. His arm strength and mobility leave space to imagine what he could be if he puts it all together, no matter how minuscule those chances are.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is a huge believer in Darnold, according to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle. He even suggested that Darnold could be a player who blooms later in his career like another former Niners QB: Hall of Famer Steve Young.

“You look at the history of the league, the quarterback is not dependent on one person,” Shanahan said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “You’ve gotta have good players around you, you’ve gotta be in a good situation, and that’s always tough. I mean, Steve Young took a while to get going, and he’s one of the best quarterbacks of all time. I don’t like to compare anyone to Steve, cause of how good he is, but why can’t Sam be like that? He’s got that type of ability. He is that type of person. And I’m just pumped that we could get a talented guy like him here.”

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Jackson Stone ·

Deebo Samuel next to the Bills and Patriots logos

Benedetto Vitale ·

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk next to 49ers general manager John Lynch and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Aiyuk has a speech bubble that says “Fire pick, can’t lie.”

Ben Strauss ·

Sam Darnold earning the starting job over Purdy and Lance would be a crazy outcome. The 49ers have had a quarterback controversy for years that seemed to be easing after Jimmy Garoppolo left in free agency. After taking Lance third overall, developing him to be the starter would allow them to maximize their draft capital. But Purdy looking so solid down the second half of last season as a rookie complicates matters.

If the 49ers have another player they think could be a starter, it would make things even more messy and uncertain. Would they look to trade Lance or Purdy, who are still on rookie contracts? For the record, Young has some major belief that Darnold can become a great player, too. The likelihood of Darnold being in serious consideration for San Fran's QB1 spot is low…but not zero.