Would 49ers consider Sam Darnold over Brock Purdy?

San Francisco and Minnesota are headed in different directions at the moment. The Vikings are 10-2 after escaping with a narrow win over Arizona while the 49ers have lost their top two running backs and lost their last two games by a combined 73-20.

The 49ers and Vikings share a common link, though. Quarterback Sam Darnold spent a formative year with Kyle Shanahan last season backing up Brock Purdy as the 49ers earned a Super Bowl berth.

Darnold bet on himself by signing a one-year contract and figures to cash in when he hits free agency in March. Would the 49ers consider bringing him back to Santa Clara and moving on from Purdy? On Monday’s edition of the GM Shuffle, former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi asked an interesting question.

“Ponder this for a minute,” Lombardi said, “if you’re the 49ers, Sam Darnold’s a free agent, and you’ve got to redo Purdy’s contract, who would you rather have, Purdy or Darnold?”

Lombardi said many would pick Darnold. While Darnold has had turnover issues, he’s not alone (see Kirk Cousins and Josh Allen prior to this season). The problem with Purdy, Lombardi added, is whether his talent level warrants the level of commitment. The other issue is where he was drafted, last overall in 2022.

“The whole argument when I watch Purdy, and I watch how successful Darnold’s been, as much as I love Purdy, I realize there is a pedigree issue here. And if you’re the Niners and Purdy wants $60 million, you can’t pay that. You can’t pay that, because you’re going to lose your whole team.”

Obviously, plenty can still happen this season. In fact, according to Doug Clawson, the 49ers have arguably the clearest path to the playoffs in their crazy division.

The Minnesota quarterback situation is equally intriguing. While the Vikings ride Darnold as long as they can, possibly deep into January, they know they’re unlikely to have him next year. J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall selection in the 2024 draft, is on track to return in time for 2025 training camp following a knee injury sustained in the preseason opener. And last week, Minnesota signed Giants castaway Daniel Jones. Don’t rule out Jones returning to the Vikings next season, although Minnesota would benefit if he left as an unrestricted free agent.

What’s certain is the 49ers (5-7) host the Bears (4-8) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) while a familiar face, Cousins and the Falcons (6-6), visit the Vikings (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

For more information on the Vikings and 49ers, visit the Minnesota and San Francisco team pages at ProFootballPost.com.