Quarterback Sam Darnold will sign a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers, ESPN and The Athletic reported Monday.
The deal cannot be made official until Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.
The 49ers agreed to terms with Darnold the same day that longtime Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo reportedly agreed to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.
San Francisco also has young guns Trey Lance and Brock Purdy, but both will be coming off surgeries in 2023. Lance was the team's starter at the outset of the 2022 season before an ankle injury; Purdy became a folk hero for taking over after Lance and Garoppolo went down, winning every start until he, too, was injured during the NFC Championship game.
Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, played three years with the New York Jets and two years with the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers traded for Darnold from the Jets in April 2021 and picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, which expired following the 2022 season.
Darnold failed to hold down the starting position in Carolina. He lost a quarterback competition with Baker Mayfield after the Panthers traded for him last August; he then suffered an ankle injury during a preseason game that caused him to miss more than two months.
Due to Mayfield's and PJ Walker's ineffectiveness, Darnold started six games upon his return from injury, throwing for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
In 56 career games (55 starts) with the Panthers and Jets, Darnold has thrown for 11,767 yards, 61 touchdowns and 55 interceptions. He has also scored 12 rushing touchdowns.
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