Sam Darnold on joining Vikings: ‘I’m going to compete’
EAGAN (FOX 9) - For now, Sam Darnold is the next quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings.
He was introduced among the team’s free agent signings on Thursday at TCO Performance Center, that’s after Kirk Cousins left Minnesota for a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Monday night, Darnold agreed to a one-year contract with the Vikings.
"Very excited to be here. Great opportunity, great organization. Just ready to get to work," Darnold said.
How long he stays in Vikings’ purple is a topic for another day. Darnold was the back-up to Brock Purdy last year with the San Francisco 49ers, and he was one win away from getting a Super Bowl ring. Darnold played in 10 games last year and got one start, throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns.
He came into the NFL highly-touted out of USC, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 by the New York Jets. He had 36 touchdowns in his first two seasons, but also had 28 interceptions. He spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers after three years with the Jets, and last year in San Francisco.
He’s 21-35 for his career as a starter, and has seen highs and lows. His focus is on staying consistent.
"Not to get too high when things are going good and when things are going bad, not to get too low. This business gets pretty crazy and hectic fast, and if you’re not consistent with your attitude day in and day out, you can get chewed up and spit out quick," Darnold said.
Darnold joins a quarterback room that includes Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall, and his former Jets’ teammate Cade McCown, now the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach. For now, Darnold is the presumed starter.
But that could change as early as late April, if the Vikings take a quarterback early in the NFL Draft. That, and Darnold’s one-year deal, would lead many to believe Darnold’s time in Minnesota might be short-lived. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah says not so fast to the idea of a bridge quarterback.
"I’m not going to call him a bridge quarterback. He’s a quarterback that’s on our roster under contract for a year. The contract in itself is a series of options to stay or go," Adofo-Mensah said.
Darnold’s focus, regardless of what the Vikings do in the draft, is competing.
"Coming here on a one-year deal, just excited to be able to compete and just come in here with an open mind. Learn as much football as I can and put the team first, put this team in a great position to be able to go out there and win games," Darnold said. "No matter what happens I’m going to compete."