The Minnesota Vikings have swiftly secured a successor for their veteran franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins by inking a one-year, $10 million deal with former San Francisco 49ers backup Sam Darnold, according to a report by league insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.
The 26-year-old served as the backup quarterback for San Francisco during the 2023 season, supporting Brock Prudy.
Although Darnold played in 10 games last season, he only started one during Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams, as the 49ers had already locked up the No. 1 seed in the entire NFC.
Darnold completed 16-of-26 passes for 189 yards in that particular game, registering a touchdown. Additionally, he contributed 19 rushing yards along with a rushing touchdown as the 49ers narrowly lost with the score of 21-20.
Darnold could be a starter from Week 1 for the Vikings, who lost Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons by inking a four-year deal worth up to $180 million.
Sam Darnold is a former top-three draft pick
The New York Jets selected Darnold as the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He is set to join his fourth NFL team as he enters his seventh season in the pros.
After spending his first three seasons in New York, he played for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 and 2022 before his tenure with the 49ers.
Throughout 66 career regular season games, in which he started in 56 of them, Darnold has accumulated 12,064 passing yards, throwing 63 touchdowns and 63 interceptions.
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