San Francisco should bring back Sam Darnold

NFL rumors of possible trades and potential free-agent signings are swirling quickly now that 24 teams are officially in their offseason.

The Dallas Cowboys waited until the last minute to move on from coach Mike McCarthy, giving them a late start to the hiring process. But Jerry Jones has plenty of optionseven in the trade market.

We take a look at the rumors linking Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to Dallas. But we haven’t forgotten about the NFL playoffs. There are four exciting games in store for the divisional round.

Let’s get to this week’s fact or fiction.

49ers should pursue Sam Darnold in free agency

Manzano’s point of view: The facts

Two weeks ago, Sam Darnold probably wasn’t even an option for the San Francisco 49ers. But now Darnold could be in play to return to his former team after back-to-back brutal performances on the biggest stage, possibly costing himself a lot of money ahead of free agency.

It wouldn’t make much sense for the Minnesota Vikings to re-sign Darnold to a lucrative contract extension or slap the franchise tag on him, which could be worth around $41 million. Minnesota already has 2024 first round pick JJ McCarthy waiting in the wings.

So if the going rate for Darnold is now, say, around $30 million a year, the 49ers should certainly be interested in bringing him back on a short-term deal. That’s obviously too much for a backup quarterback, meaning this would turn into a QB battle between Darnold and Brock Purdy, who might seek a contract extension around $60 million a year or about what the top quarterbacks make, ranging north for $40 million a year.

Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 draft, had a rough end to the ’24 season and may not be worth a lot of money, but he has some impact. Purdy didn’t fold in the biggest moments, taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl last year and pushing the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime. But competition could be good for Purdy, and the 49ers could structure Darnold’s contract with the option to move on after one year if Purdy has a breakout season.

Purdy had his best season battling Darnold and Trey Lance in the summer of 2023. Maybe spending money on Darnold to scare Purdy into playing well isn’t wise. But that’s another QB option in case the 49ers don’t like Purdy’s asking price for his next contract.

There is also the possibility that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan adds Kirk Cousins, possibly on an affordable deal, if the Atlanta Falcons trade or cut him. Creating opportunity and letting Purdy earn it in a contract year could be the best path for San Francisco.

Cowboys should trade for Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Manzano’s View: Fiction

My first response to this was, “Yeah. You know what, hell yeah.” (Some of you may know this this line from the TikTok trend. Please don’t ban this beautiful platform!)

But then I remembered that the Cowboys are no longer a Super Bowl contender. Dallas won just seven games in McCarthy’s final season, plagued not only by injuries but also by roster holes. Even in McCarthy’s 12-win seasons, the Cowboys had a top-heavy roster with a handful of stars. There was solid depth among the pass rushers, but Dallas lost it after Dorance Armstrong left to join the Washington Commanders, and it looks like DeMarcus Lawrence’s best days are behind him.

In a way, the Cowboys’ roster is similar to the one Tomlin already has with the Steelers, who lost the last five games of the season. Micah Parsons does the heavy lifting for Dallas, although TJ Watt has more help on Pittsburgh’s defense. And fellow receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens don’t have much help on offense — and yes, I understand the Cowboys’ star wideout is better than the one in Pittsburgh.

Anyway, let me address those who are probably screaming don’t forget Dak Prescott! The Cowboys’ signal caller would be a drastic upgrade from what Tomlin has had since Ben Roethlisberger’s prime years. I just don’t think Prescott can be trusted in the playoffs – unless he has a better roster.

First, the Cowboys would have to give up a first-round pick. (You don’t trade one of the best head coaches in the NFL without at least getting a first-rounder.) Then the Jones family would have to spend money to address the lack of depth at wide receiver and the various holes on the defensive front. Splurging in free agency might not even be an option with the team currently $285,056 over the salary cap, according to OvertheCap.com.

There’s always the draft, but you’d already be behind if the first-rounder goes to Pittsburgh. And let’s not forget that this team also lacks a bell running back. Tomlin wants his teams to be physical, and you can’t have that without a consistently productive rushing attack.

After thinking about it, you know what, this isn’t a hell of a move for the Cowboys.

The Rams have the best defensive front among the remaining teams

Manzano’s point of view: The facts

It’s crazy to think how good the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive front became under them first season without Aaron Donaldarguably the greatest defensive tackle of all time.

Depth is what separates this defensive front from the other three teams heading into the divisional round. There’s nothing truly spectacular anymore, but Los Angeles has two stud defensive tackles in Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, a star-in-the-making edge rusher in Jared Verse, a standout No. 2 edge rusher in Byron Young and a reliable rotational pass rusher in Michael Hoecht. That’s five names right there, but a lot more contributed to the Rams’ dismantling of the Vikings on Monday night. Los Angeles had eight players contribute to the nine sacks against Darnold, an NFL record for a playoff game.

Philadelphia Eagles fans may hate to hear this ahead of Sunday’s playoff game against the Rams, but this LA front reminds me of the one Philly had in 2017 to help Nick Foles win the Super Bowl.

Maybe there’s no Chris Jones in the interior, an edge-rushing duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter or a Roquan Smith at linebacker. But the LA front comes in waves, enough to turn a matchup against a prolific offense that won 14 games in the regular season into a mismatch.

Favorites will dominate in the divisional round

Manzano’s View: Fiction

Five of the six wild-card games were blowouts, but let’s not forget that three underdogs advanced to the divisional round.

I wouldn’t be shocked if one or more upsets occur this weekend. The Detroit Lions didn’t get to face Jayden Daniels and his Commanders in the regular season, possibly making the unknown challenging, especially for a shorthanded defense.

As mentioned above, the Rams have the defense to pressure the Eagles. Matthew Stafford also gets the edge over Jalen Hurts. Then again, the Rams don’t have Saquon Barkley, who threw LA for 255 rushing yards earlier this season.

It’s harder to see the Houston Texans upsetting the Chiefs, but it’s also hard to doubt them after the drubbing they put on the Los Angeles Chargers last week. And there’s a good chance we’ll have a playoff classic between the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens.

Here’s hoping for four close games this weekend.

Chargers should go all in for Bengals WR Tee Higgins

Manzano’s point of view: The facts

Justin Herbert throwing four interceptions in a playoff game doesn’t mean there aren’t about 20 teams that would love to have him as their starting quarterback.

Yes, he’s 0–2 in the postseason, but he’s still a talented quarterback capable of elite performance. And I don’t want that make excuses for himbut it was easy to see the difference between CJ Stroud who had Nico Collins and Herbert who had Ladd McConkey.

Both are great wide receivers, but the 6’0,” 185-pound McConkey doesn’t have the size of the 6’4,” 222-pound Collins, a physical wideout who can win contested catches downfield.

If the Cincinnati Bengals let wide receiver Tee Higgins walk, the Chargers should overpay for his services. Higgins’ skill set would complement McConkey and give Herbert a dynamic one-two punch to help avoid more postseason meltdowns in the future.

But after how well the 6’4,” 219-pound Higgins played down the stretch, the Bengals would be foolish to let go of one of Joe Burrow’s favorite targets.