11:37am: Although the Broncos monitored Darnold’s market, 9News’ Mike Klis indicates the team did not make an offer. Darnold’s asking price landing in the $10MM-per-year neighborhood looks to have moved the Broncos out of the mix. Despite the team having only Jarrett Stidham in place post-Russell Wilson, it passed on making this a true bidding war.
12:12am: Competing against multiple other suitors, the Vikings will bring in their preferred Kirk Cousins fallback option. Sam Darnold has joined DaQuan Jones in making a wee-hours call on his 2024 NFL team.
Darnold will rejoin his former teammate — new Vikings QBs coach Josh McCown — in Minnesota, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reporting the recent 49ers back will sign a one-year deal worth $10MM. The Vikings appear to have beaten out the Broncos and Commanders for the former No. 3 overall pick.
[RELATED: Falcons To Give Kirk Cousins $180MM Deal]
This will bring what looks to be a clear-cut starter opportunity for Darnold, who has not gone into a season as a starter since 2021 with the Panthers. With Cousins’ Atlanta departure set to bring $28.5MM in dead money due to the void years Minnesota tacked onto their previous starter’s deal, Darnold at a significantly reduced rate will help the Vikings pick up the pieces.
Darnold, 26, emerged on the Vikings’ radar minutes after Cousins chose to leave. The team had made its pitch to its six-year starter up until Sunday night, but the 35-year-old passer will camp in Georgia on a $45MM-per-year accord. Cousins certainly is a more stable option compared to Darnold, who could not stick as the Jets or Panthers’ starter. But the Vikings will not be devoting anything close to their QB spot compared to the past six seasons. The Cousins era taxed the Vikings, who were battling uphill in negotiations since giving the ex-Washington franchise tag recipient a fully guaranteed deal in 2018.
With the salary cap ballooning to $55.4MM, the Vikings will need to give Darnold more than the Buccaneers handed Baker Mayfield in the wake of Tom Brady‘s void years-generated bill hitting their books last year. Mayfield collected some incentives but signed for just $4MM in base value last year. Darnold has not reached the heights Mayfield did merely in Cleveland, and the USC alum has made 56 career starts. But an argument can also be made — even after six seasons — the former top prospect landed in two bad situations as a starter.
The Jets chose to ship Darnold out after three seasons, which came under Todd Bowles and Adam Gase and with clear issues on the offensive line and at the pass-catching positions. And the Panthers acquired Darnold — for three draft picks, including a second-rounder — during an unstable period in which Matt Rhule was ready to move on from the trade pickup by his second season. Mayfield then replaced Darnold as Carolina’s starter, and while the latter recaptured his job, the Panthers were on the verge of another regime change. Darnold has a career 63-56 TD-INT ratio and has averaged just 6.7 yards per pass as a pro. In his most recent season with enough usage to qualify (2021), Darnold ranked 29th in QBR.
The Vikings will give Darnold a Justin Jefferson–T.J. Hockenson–Jordan Addison trio to target, and while the former Trojans standout will probably never live up to his draft slot, Kevin O’Connell‘s offense looks like his best opportunity to show he can be a decent starter. Of course, the Vikings will certainly be connected to QBs in the draft; they hold the No. 11 overall pick. But Darnold would be in place as the bridge in that circumstance. He could also buy the NFC North team time if a trade-up maneuver proves elusive come April.
Well there you go lol
My immediate reaction is feeling bad for the WR group in Minnesota, but maybe Darnold improves this year. Probably his last shot as a starter.
Mitch Trubisky 2.0.
Mitch Trubisky 2.0 2.0.
They saw what BUF and PGH did with Trubisky and said “good enough, let’s try that.”
> PGH
Is that an abbreviation for Pittsburgh?
That is how people from PGH abbreviate PGH, yes.
We spot the poseurs with their PIT and Pitt talk.
Pittsburghers spell poser with a “u” as well? Why not find a way to add a “g” and “h” to it, too?
“Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
po·seur
/pōˈzər/
noun
plural noun: poseurs
another term for poser”
Poseur is like poser for people who own utensils.
So you’re from France or Quebec ?
Don’t you mean “utensilghs”? That’s what you use to eat Pittsburgh Pieroghies right?
Never been to Pennsylvania, have no idea what you’re talking about. Here on the ranch it’s steak and potatoes!
If you’re Justin Jefferson you demand a 200mil contract or a trade before you touch the field. You knew for years what Kirk would ask for and this was your best plan b?
The plan is likely to draft a QB of the future and make him beat out Darnold before seeing the field.
So basically Jefferson will be a high cost asset on a team embarking on a rebuild. That seems like a lose-lose deal for both parties.
A high cost asset who will complain so loudly (rightfully so), that they trade him shortly thereafter and take on another large cap hit.
Vikings fans who ripped Cousins for being overpaid and never winning a big game are about to find out how much worse it can get.
it’s one year…if they get who they want in the draft, Darnold makes 4 – 6 starts. who cares? they aren’t better than Detroit or Green Bay this year anyway.
Or they could do what the Packers do, and draft a QB while they still have an excellent veteran QB under center. But it appears the Vikings prefer hot garbage at the position and then hope for the best. Good luck with that!
Ah hahahahahahahahahahaha
Best thing about this signing? This fall Minnesota gets to host his original team, the Jets.
If Aaron and the Jets come to town and womp the Vikes, idk that there is any “best” thing about that for Vikings fans though.
It’s actually pathetic that multimillionaire businesses, with dedicated financial ‘experts’, can’t manage a defined budget. Constantly overpaying a few assets then manipulating payments like bad credit card debt.
The league facilitates this quagmire by raising the ‘cap’ more than COL which sends teams on another shopping spree with ‘new’ capital one cards.
Sometimes teams are pushing liabilities forward, even though they have little-to-no chance in the current year. But if you think your window of competitiveness is two years, then I see no problem pushing liabilities out to the 3rd year and then completely tanking.
IRT to cap v COL, I thought this worked on a percentage of revenues.
Actually, it all has to do with job security for GMs and Coaches.
There is such a short window for leadership to show improvement that they spend aggressively in the present because they might not be around in the future anyway.
Teams with stable leadership generally don’t do this.
Look at how NE operated until Brady left and the team started stinking.
Why would anyone one suggest the salary cap should be raised equally to the rate of COL? Those 2 things have nothing in relation to each other.
Most companies use COL to adjust wages and pensions.
Understand the monies the nfl is gathering from tv and media outlets along with products they market.
My point is spending on credit will bite you eventually so the ‘logic’ that I have to spend now cause I’ll be gone in a couple years might just be the reason there is such a turnover in coaches and GM. Guys act like teenagers with a parents credit card.
Wow… period.
McCarthy bridge..
They honestly need to trade Jefferson they’ll be compatible enough with the signings so far just not enough to challenge GB and DET.
Cash in, rebuild.
Is this “Crisis: AVERTED!”?
lol
It just got worse
63 career TDs and 56 career Interceptions. All I can say shaking my head. Terrible choice for the money.
He couldn’t of started off with a crappier coaching staff/organization. Good chance he’ll finally play to his potential, got a year head start with similar offense. Hope he succeeds