A quarterback problem looked to be looming over the Minnesota Vikings. With Kirk Cousins heading to join the Atlanta Falcons, Justin Jefferson no longer has a reliable quarterback who can get the ball to him. The team’s offense might have been in disarray but they fixed that problem merely hours later in NFL Free Agency. They are getting a serviceable new quarterback in Sam Darnold.
You heard that right! Sam Darnold is joining the Vikings on a one-year deal worth $10 million, per Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback will reunite with Josh McCown, the Vikings’ new quarterbacks coach because of this NFL Free Agency move.
Now, Darnold clearly is not the same as Kirk Cousins. He has had some trouble when it comes to efficiency in the past but those issues can be ironed out. After all, he is just 26 years old and has developed a better acumen like a veteran since joining the league back in 2018.
Before getting the opportunity to throw lasers at Justin Jefferson, Darnold had a bumpy road for a journeyman. He spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers and had three years with the New York Jets. His averages clearly went down with the 49ers because of Brock Purdy. However, when he is given ample time, he throws for over 2,000 passing yards.
It is unclear whether he comes to the prime option for the Vikings at quarterback. Nonetheless, he will put up a fight come training camps to sharpen other signal callers who may want to take the QB1 spot away from him. Will he be the next big thing after Cousins joined the Falcons?
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