EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings are expected to sign 49er's backup quarterback Sam Darnold to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million, according to multiple sources.
Darnold is headed into his seventh season after he was a first-round pick in the 2018 draft. NFL.com reports that he has accumulated 12,064 passing yards while tossing 63 touchdowns and 63 interceptions in 56 career starts.
Insiders Ian Rappoport and Tom Pelissero say the deal will be for one year at a salary of around $10 million.
News of Darnold's signing comes as no surprise, as many expected him to be option A if the Vikings could not come to terms with Kirk Cousins, who agreed to a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons Monday afternoon. The Vikings are struggling with salary cap issues and NFL insiders speculated the team would have needed to spend around $40 million per year to retain him.
Darnold is expected to be a placeholder, perhaps starting this year while the club selects a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft and allows the rookie to get some seasoning before stepping into the lead role.
The Athletic's Alec Lewis said in a column Tuesday morning that Darnold was ranked as their third-best free agent quarterback on the board, behind only Cousins and Russell Wilson, who signed yesterday with Pittsburgh. Lewis says the system Darnold learned in San Francisco is similar to the one utilized by the Vikings, and that he already has a relationship with Minnesota's new quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.
The Vikings did make moves to bolster their defense by adding outside rusher Jonathan Greenard and linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel.
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