The Minnesota Vikings did not wait too long after finding out Kirk Cousins would be leaving them to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency to find his replacement.
They will turn to former No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold, who spent the 2023 season backing up Brock Purdy on the San Francisco 49ers.
“A new QB in Minnesota: The #Vikings are expected to sign #49ers QB Sam Darnold, per me and @TomPelissero,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X, formerly Twitter, on March 12. “Darnold gets a 1-year deal worth $10M, sources say, and joins former teammate Josh McCown, who is Minnesota’s new QB coach.
“Kirk Cousins out, Darnold in.”
Sam Darnold, Vikings QB
⚫️6’3” 225
⚫️Round One, 3rd pick, 2018
⚫️Played for Bowles, Gase and Rhule
⚫️5 OCs in 5 seasons
⚫️ Youngest NFL QB to ever start since NFL AFL merger2022 Panthers (4-2) stepping in for Mayfield 👇#Skol /// #Vikings /// pic.twitter.com/AIQauYniVC
— Purple Valhalla (@norsemenstrong) March 12, 2024
Darnold, 26, was originally selected by the New York Jets in 2018. He spent three seasons in New York, amassing 8,907 passing yards on 59.8% completion with 45 touchdowns and 39 interceptions to go with a 13-25 record.
He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Carolina Panthers, completing 59.5% of his passes for 3,670 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
Darnold threw for 297 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in 10 games in 2023.
No deals can be made official until March 13, and there has yet to be official word of whether or not Darnold intends to accept the Vikings’ potential offer. But whispers of their interest have made the rounds in the rumor mill before this.
Vikings’ Sam Darnold Compared to Former Teammate, Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield
“I think Baker Mayfield is a bit of an example of this: There are opportunities in this league for guys that don’t succeed at some places to go on and have success at others,” Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt said on DenverSports.com on January 25. “It’s hard to say for sure, but I think Sam could be one of those guys.”
Mayfield — the reigning PFWA Most Improved Player — was the No. 1 pick in Darnold’s draft class. He began his career with the Cleveland Browns, spending four seasons there before being traded to the Panthers. He and Darnold were teammates on the Panthers in 2022.
Darnold suffered an ankle injury in the preseason, allowing Mayfield to seize the starting job going into the regular season.
When Mayfield struggled, P.J. Walker took over only to struggle himself.
Darnold resumed starting duties over the final six games of the season. He completed 61% of his passes for 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception from Weeks 12-17. The wheels came off in Week 18, with Darnold throwing two interceptions and zero touchdowns.
Darnold joins Nick Mullens and 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall in the Vikings’ QB room.
Josh McCown’s Influence Showing
Darnold and McCown were teammates on the Jets in 2018. It was McCown’s penultimate campaign as a player. This signing could also be an indication of just how influential the new quarterbacks coach is going to be.
That could have significant implications for the draft. McCown coached former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye in high school.
Maye is the presumed No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft and the Vikings “adore” him, per The Atheltic’s Alec Lewis on March 4.
Cousins’ departure gives a lot more viability to rumors the Vikings were interested in trading up for a quarterback. That could require a trade from their current slot at No. 11 overall. But banking on Darnold – or Mullens or Hall – could prove foolhardy.
Justin Jefferson’s contract situation looms large. the four-time Pro Bowler set to reset the market for non-quarterbacks.
