The Minnesota Vikings were left with a gaping hole in their lineup hours into the legal tampering period in NFL free agency. Their starting quarterback for the last six seasons, Kirk Cousins, had opted to leave and sign a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Some Vikings supporters believed it was time to move on from Cousins. He will be 36 when the 2024 regular season begins and he is coming off of an Achilles tear during the 2023 campaign. Paying him top-of-the-market money is certainly a risk.
But, Minnesota has no contingency plan in place without Cousins. Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are the only quarterbacks under contract with the team, putting an emphasis on finding a player at the position this offseason.
Late Monday night into early Tuesday morning, the Vikings found their guy. According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Minnesota is expected to sign San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Sam Darnold.
It will reportedly be a one-year, $10 million deal for Darnold to join the Vikings. He will be working alongside his former teammate, Josh McCown, who is now the quarterbacks coach in Minnesota.
The No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets hasn’t come close to living up to expectations. The Vikings will be the fourth organization he plays for in his career and could be the last time he gets a chance to show that he can be a starter in the league.
Spending a season with Kyle Shanahan certainly can benefit any quarterback. Playing under another respected offensive mine in Kevin O’Connell in 2024, this is as good of a chance as any as Darnold has had in his career to succeed.
Not to mention, the Vikings also have an incredible supporting cast around him. Their offensive line is solid and he has weapons galore. Arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, Justin Jefferson, is his No. 1 target.
Behind him at wide receiver, he has 2023 first-round pick Jordan Addison, along with tight end T.J. Hockenson. Minnesota also signed running back Aaron Jones hours after the Green Bay Packers released him.
The Vikings have created a situation any quarterback would love to be a part of. Darnold has all of the pieces around him to succeed in Minnesota, he just has to perform on the field, which he hasn’t shown he can consistently do yet in his career.
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