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The 49ers appear willing to pay a price this offseason to acquire a backup quarterback.
And if the 49ers were serious about a deal to acquire Sam Darnold from the New York Jets, it would certainly come at a cost.
There is no indication that the 49ers have engaged in trade talks with Jets, but it’s easy to see Darnold’s appeal.
He was the No.3 pick in the 2018 draft, and his value is low after three seasons in which he was unlikely to succeed with a lack of organizational support and a terrible distribution of attacking players around him.
Plus, Darnold shouldn’t have a future with the Jets.
The Jets own the second pick in the draft. The logical play is that the era of Robert Saleh begins with Zach Wilson being targeted as the team’s franchise quarterback.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are unlikely to leave Garoppolo unless they believe they can get an immediate upgrade.
There are simply too many unknowns with Darnold, who can hardly be considered more secure than Garoppolo.
At least with Garoppolo, the only unknown is whether he can stay healthy and available year after year.
The only time Garoppolo has gone through a full season, the 49ers have qualified for the Super Bowl.
Darnold’s cost isn’t so much dollars – at least not in 2021 – but the price it would take to acquire it.
It is not worth the 12th overall pick. And the 49ers’ second-round pick at 43rd also seems like a hefty price tag.
Darnold has an affordable $ 4.77 million in salary and bonuses for the 2021 season. That’s more than reasonable for a save.
But where things get tricky is beyond this season. A decision has to be made on a fifth year option for Darnold in early May.
The fifth-year option would give Darnold a fully guaranteed salary of $ 18.858 million for the 2022 season. Based on his first three seasons, there’s no way smart play for a team is to guarantee. Darnold that money.
Therefore, he is virtually guaranteed to be a free agent in 2022.
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Garoppolo has two more years on his contract with salaries and bonuses totaling $ 25.5 million in 2021 and $ 25.6 million in 2022.
Once again, all signs point to Garoppolo being the 49ers’ starting quarterback this year.
But it’s also clear the heat is on him to stay on the pitch and deliver. For the 49ers, it’s not so much about providing Garoppolo with competition as it is having a backup capable of winning a lot of games if the starter isn’t available for a long time.
Is the cost of an insurance policy worth it when the 49ers are expected to draft an immediate starter that would be under contract for four years at a cost under control?
After all, the 49ers may have to give up a second-round pick for a player with a contract for a single season and who – if things go according to plan – would never work on the pitch during that year.
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