Sam Darnold's career comeback started in San Francisco.
The former No. 3 overall pick went to the 49ers in 2023 to play behind Brock Purdy and learn from Kyle Shanahan, and it worked.
It set him up to shine for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, and now he's a $100 million quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.
Fittingly, it's Seahawks-49ers in Week 1 on Sunday to open the season.
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Darnold will be showing San Francisco and Shanahan exactly what he learned in the Bay Area.
"When you're that good of a quarterback, you rarely get a chance to just sit and soak things in," Shanahan told ESPN. "And when you do, you kind of get more frustrated because you just want to be out there competing. And I know it was hard for him to do it, but he did it the right way and I think he just was so much more prepared for his next opportunity. And I thought that showed in Minnesota."
Darnold spent three seasons with the Jets with a 13-25 record, then went to Carolina and made 17 starts over two seasons with an 8-9 mark.
He got just one start in San Francisco with 10 total appearances, attempting 46 passes as he attempted to grow in the game from a different perspective.
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Darnold wasn't a shoo-in starter for the Vikings, but a late August injury to J.J. McCarthy made Darnold the only choice.
He delivered in a big way, going 14-3 with a 66.2% completion percentage, 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns, by far the best season of his career.
Seattle brought him in on a three-year deal for $100.5 million to try and win the NFC West, meaning he'll have to overcome the 'Niners.
The test comes immediately, and Darnold will be ready to pass it because of how much he learned when he himself was with the 49ers.
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