The San Francisco 49ers will face a familiar name in Seattle Seahawks‘ Sam Darnold, who spent the 2023 NFL season with the Niners and used that time to revive his career after a challenging stint with the New York Jets.
Following his one season in the Bay Area, Darnold went to the Minnesota Vikings, where he solidified himself as an NFL starter. Darnold had a passer rating of 102.5 with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 17 games for the Vikings in his career and was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl.
Darnold used that 2024 season to land a long-term deal with the Seahawks this past offseason. Ahead of the Week 18 meeting, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about Darnold and compared his situation to that of Mac Jones, their current backup.
“Sam was the third pick in the draft,” Shanahan said about Darnold on January 1 (h/t Grant Cohn of On SI). “From a talent standpoint, you could always see that we got him, and you could see exactly why he was that. I mean, he was one of the more talented guys I’ve been around. From a guy’s standpoint, he was unbelievable in the room. True leader. Guys love being around him. Sam’s one of my favorite guys I’ve been to coach and be around.
“It was cool when he got here, similar to Mac. They had been through a lot. And anytime you go through a number of systems, a number of teams, you can get watered down a little bit in what people are asking you to do, what you like doing. Eventually, you have to do too much stuff.”
Seahawks’ Sam Darnold Gets More Praise
Moreover, Shanahan didn’t stop there when it came to comparing the two quarterbacks who needed a confidence boost and landed in the right situations for them to get it.
“[Darnold] came in with such an open mind and really stuff we asked him to do that he hadn’t done,” Shanahan added. “He didn’t mind looking bad at it at first. Very similar to how Mac has been, too. Just trying different footwork and things like that. To watch someone who could succeed without that stuff, just be an open book to letting you coach him and trying things…
“I thought he improved a ton, and I thought it was good for him to also sit back and watch for a year, too, with what he had been through and watch how Brock did and things that made him successful and turn it into his own style, which he’s done a great job at.”
49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Praises Seahawks’ JSN
Shanahan didn’t only praise Darnold heading into this big-time matchup. On December 30, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t hold back on his comments regarding Smith-Njigba.
“This year, in the whole league, I think he’s their leading receiver in every game but one,” Shanahan said while speaking to the media (h/t 95.7 The Game). “He’s obviously extremely talented, as most first-round guys are, but it’s hard to know unless I read it on Madden and their awareness rating.
“But I would guess his real-life awareness rating is off the chart. He’s got very good feel in zones, how to move around. He almost plays in slow motion, but he’s one of the fastest guys out there, so a lot of respect for him.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks’ Sam Darnold Draws Stunning Mac Jones Comparison appeared first on Heavy Sports.