Sunday was an audition for Sam Darnold.
Had he played exceptionally well, he could have earned a starting job elsewhere next season, but he didn't do that. Instead, he posted a passer rating of 96.5, which is solid, but he also fumbled with the game on the line and lost to Carson Wentz. If anyone earned a starting job for next season in that game, it was Wentz, not Darnold.
But Darnold still could return to the 49ers as Brock Purdy's backup. This season, he was a relatively expensive backup, earning $4.5 million. Did he live up to his paycheck?
Not really.
Granted, Darnold didn't play much, because Purdy stayed healthy all season. Darnold finished the season with 46 pass attempts, a 60.9 completion percentage and an 85.1 quarterback rating. Compare those numbers to the ones Darnold posted in 2019 when he was a 22-year-old starting quarterback for the Jets: 61.9 completion percentage, 84.3 passer rating.
It doesn't seem like Darnold has improved at all since he entered the league. It seems he's the same inconsistent loser he always has been. The same talented thrower who finds ways to lose games he should win.
Instead of trying to breathe life in Darnold's career, which hasn't worked so far, the 49ers simply should draft another quarterback, someone who's far younger and cheaper than Darnold without all of his baggage. Because he always will be the indecisive pocket passer who's afraid to make mistakes but makes them anyway.
That's who he is.
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