3 sleeper teams that could be perfect fits for Sam Darnold

1. San Francisco 49ers

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has tried to say the right things about Jimmy Garoppolo looking to next season. But it would not be a good application of leverage to say otherwise, and the reality is this.

The 49ers can trade or cut Garoppolo before March 1, 2021, and clear $24.1 million in cap space while leaving behind just $2.8 million in dead money. Other teams may be willing to trade for him, knowing that the out for the final year of his contract in 2022 is even better ($1.4 million in dead money).

Quite simply, Shanahan is one of the best designers of offense in the NFL. There’s no greater evidence of that then 2018, when Garoppolo was out and Nick Mullens started eight games.

Mullens completed over 64 percent of his passes for 2,277 yards (284.6 yards per game) with a 90.8 passer rating as an undrafted rookie in 2018. He also averaged 8.3 yards per attempt, and 7.6 adjusted yards per attempt.

With Garoppolo out again this season, Mullens has played in seven games with five starts (with a sixth start coming against the Buffalo Bills Monday night). He has completed over 67 percent of his passes thus far, while averaging 8.0 yards per attempt with an 87.1 passer rating.

If Shanahan can get what he’s gotten out of Mullens, and Garoppolo for that matter, he can surely coax the best out of Darnold. How Darnold on the 49ers would look in 2021 (or beyond) is to be determined. Would he be Garoppolo’s backup?

Would be the backup to someone else? Would he join a rookie drafted fairly highly on a totally reshaped depth chart? But after teams that can be pointed more prominently (Colts? Bears?) there would be no better spot to resurrect his career than under Shanahan in San Francisco.