
Tag: sam darnold


Minnesota Detroit Picks, Week 18 OVER

Vikings QB Sam Darnold practices, ready for Bears
Quarterback Sam Darnold kickstarted the Vikings’ offense on Thursday as he has most of the 2024 season, and plans to play Sunday in a meaningful NFC North road game at Chicago.
Darnold returned to practice after being listed as a limited participant on Wednesday because of a foot injury.
The Vikings (8-2) are anticipating another close matchup with the Bears (4-6), who won a field-goal battle at Minnesota last season while head coach Kevin O’Connell was shuttling quarterbacks in and out of the lineup to replace the injured Kirk Cousins.
That’s not a problem these days.
After Cousins left for greener pastures in Atlanta, the Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal and drafted Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round. Darnold already has eight wins, beating the 7-10 mark the Vikings cobbled together with a QB room that spun on fast forward from Cousins, Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens, and Joshua Dobbs.
“What we’re trying to get from Sam is play the best football of his career,” O’Connell said.
Darnold is delivering and the Vikings have a three-game winning streak in tow when they arrive at Soldier Field on Sunday.
He has posted a 100.0 passer rating in 10 starts. He has completed a career-best 67.9 percent of his passes for 2,387 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The next touchdown pass will mark a career high for Darnold, who sputtered with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before serving as the San Francisco 49ers’ backup last season.
“I just feel like, you know — not talking about past experiences at all — but I think here it’s the detail that we’ve had ever since OTAs, ever since April,” Darnold said. “We’ve been able to lock in our progressions. Just our feet, our eyes, where they’re supposed to be. And just being on time with the concepts.
“If you play like that, it makes the quarterback position a little bit easier.”
–Field Level Media

Reports: Vikings await MRI on QB Sam Darnold (knee)
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold will have an MRI on his left knee Monday, according to multiple reports.
Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s 34-7 win against the Houston Texans, former Vikings pass rusher Danielle Hunter was flagged for roughing the passer after wrapping up Darnold’s legs.
Darnold left the field under his own power and appeared to be in pain on the sidelines before returning to the game after sitting out just one snap, briefly replaced by Nick Mullens.
“It’s good, and that’s as much as I’m gonna say about that,” Darnold told Pro Football Talk about the status of his knee on Sunday night.
Darnold, 27, finished with 181 yards and four touchdown passes as the Vikings improved to 3-0 with the victory in Minneapolis.
In his first season with Minnesota, the former No. 3 overall draft pick has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 657 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Vikings play the NFC North rival Packers (2-1) in Green Bay on Sunday.
–Field Level Media

Reports: Vikings remake backfield, to add QB Sam Darnold, RB Aaron Jones
Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract and bolstered the backfield with another addition as the franchise moves on from quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Former Packers running back Aaron Jones, released Monday, agreed to a $7 million contract for 2024 with Green Bay’s NFC North rival, according to multiple reports.
ESPN and NFL Network first reported details of the Darnold deal, which can become official when the league year begins Wednesday.
Cousins agreed to a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons within hours of the start of the free agency negotiating period on Monday. Cousins, who turns 36 in August, and the Vikings discussed his return but the price range escalated beyond the franchise’s comfort zone.
Jones and the Packers split following the pending signing of free agent running back Josh Jacobs. The former Raiders first-round pick is set to sign a reported four-year, $48 million deal to replace Jones in Green Bay.
Keeping both would’ve been too expensive and Jones took a paycut to stay with the Packers before the 2023 season.
With 5,940 rushing yards, Jones ranks third in team history, but his next employer will be visiting Lambeau Field as a guest.
“As good of a player as Aaron is on the field, he is an even better person,” said Packers coach Matt LaFleur. “When I arrived in Green Bay as a first-time head coach, he was instrumental in establishing our winning culture and always served as the greatest example of what it meant to be a Packer. Aaron will always be one of the best players I had the opportunity to coach. He, his son, Junior, his mom, Vurgess, and his family will be missed.”
Jones’ cap number for 2024 would’ve been $17,575,824 with Green Bay after missing six games due to injuries last season.
The Vikings released running back Alexander Mattison before free agency began. He started the season as the No. 1 running back but was ineffective, ceding the spot to Ty Chandler. Mattison rushed for a career-best 700 yards in 2023.
In Darnold, the Vikings would add an experienced starter looking to prove he’s deserving of that role again after a one-year stint as Brock Purdy’s backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold, drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in 2018, will be playing for a fourth NFL team in five seasons. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
Darnold, 26, is relatively young for a seventh-year pro. He’s one year and one day older than Steelers 2022 first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett, for example, and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU — a likely first-round pick in 2024 — will be 24 years old in December.
Darnold worked under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Shanahan was Cousins’ initial offensive coordinator in the NFL and runs a derivative of the same offense Minnesota employs under Kevin O’Connell, whose coaching roots trace to Shanahan comrade Sean McVay.
Cousins was largely a backup for three seasons in Washington before he became a starter in his fourth season. He spent the past six seasons with the Vikings, throwing for more than 4,200 yards four times with 26-plus touchdowns in each of his five full seasons.
Cousins was tied for the NFL lead with 18 touchdown passes when he suffered a ruptured right Achilles eight weeks into the 2023 season.
Minnesota acquired journeyman Joshua Dobbs days later to beat the NFL trade deadline and went through a musical chairs rotation at quarterback without the reliable Cousins at the helm, trying Nick Mullens and 2023 fifth-round pick Jaren Hall when Dobbs faltered after leading a stirring win over the Falcons.
Darnold started the Week 18 regular-season finale in Purdy’s place with the 49ers’ playoff position locked up, completing 16 of 26 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in a 21-20 loss to the Rams.
The Vikings are expected to be in the market for a quarterback in the draft and have the No. 11 overall pick.
–Field Level Media

49ers QB Brock Purdy clears concussion protocol
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has cleared concussion protocol and will not carry an injury designation into Sunday’s game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday indicated Purdy would start if he was cleared to play.
“Yeah, definitely,” Shanahan told reporters. “He was full-go today, so he’s just got to pass that (Saturday).”
Purdy began experiencing concussion symptoms on the flight home following Monday night’s 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings during which he appeared to take a hard hit to the helmet. He returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis before turning in a full session on Friday. He was then listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Purdy is completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,668 yards, 11 TDs and three interceptions on the season.
If Purdy does not play, Sam Darnold would be in line to make his first start for San Francisco. The former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers starter signed with the 49ers as a free agent in March.
–Field Level Media

Report: 49ers naming Sam Darnold backup QB
The San Francisco 49ers have tabbed Sam Darnold as their backup quarterback over former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance, NFL Network reported Wednesday.
Brock Purdy is the team’s starter.
Lance, 23, just last year was the team’s quarterback of the future before fracturing his tibia in the second game of the season. The injury, which included ligament damage, required two surgeries, the second to remove hardware from the first that was causing irritation in his ankle.
Jimmy Garoppolo replaced Lance but sustained a broken left foot in Week 13, leading to the emergence of the wunderkind Purdy.
The 49ers signed Darnold, the 2018 draft’s No. 3 overall pick, as a free agent in March. The 26-year-old has had a strong showing during the offseason.
Lance is set to count $9.3 million against the Niners’ salary cap this season. Further, the team moved from No. 12 in a trade with the Miami Dolphins to draft Lance No. 3 in the 2021 draft. That cost the 49ers two first-round picks in 2022 and ’23 in addition to a third-rounder in ’22.
Lance appeared in just eight games (four starts) over his first two seasons, completing 56 of 102 passes for 797 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Darnold lost a competition with Baker Mayfield to start for the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and was on the shelf with an ankle injury most of last season. He was traded to the Panthers from the New York Jets.
Darnold started six games in 2022 upon his return from injury, throwing for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
In 56 career games (55 starts) with the Panthers and Jets, Darnold is 21-34 and has thrown for 11,767 yards, 61 TDs and 55 INTs. He has also scored 12 rushing touchdowns.
–Field Level Media

49ers GM: QB Brock Purdy (elbow) cleared to practice
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has received medical clearance and is ready to participate in training camp, general manager John Lynch said Tuesday.
Lynch added that a trip to the physically unable to perform list is not ahead for Purdy, who underwent ulnar collateral ligament surgery on his right (throwing) elbow on March 10. He was injured during the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Brock’s cleared and ready to go,” Lynch said. “He’s been cleared. He’s going to be without restrictions. Having said that, we’re sticking to and adhering to a plan. He got after it the last couple days and we upped his pitch count. We believe in that plan.
“… The great news is that Brock worked his tail off and is ready to go.”
By avoiding the PUP list, the 23-year-old Purdy presumably has the edge on Trey Lance and Sam Darnold to be the team’s starting quarterback. Lance is returning from a severe right ankle injury that required multiple surgeries, and free agent Darnold is joining the QB room after stops with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was thrust into action as a rookie following season-ending injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, and he was a revelation for the 49ers.
He went 5-0 as a starter to finish the regular season, leading San Francisco to the NFC West title. He completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
In the postseason, Purdy was 2-1 with three touchdowns, no interceptions and 569 yards.
–Field Level Media

Panthers designate QB Sam Darnold to return from IR
Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold and defensive tackle Bravvion Roy were designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday.
The moves open a 21-day practice window for Darnold and Roy to be placed on the 53-man roster. They can be returned to the active roster at any time.
Darnold, 25, was injured in Carolina’s final preseason game after Buffalo Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer rolled over his left foot. Darnold was carted off the field.
Fellow quarterback Baker Mayfield is nursing an ankle injury and sat out the Panthers’ 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday. PJ Walker sustained a neck injury in that contest.
Mayfield, 27, has completed a career-low 54.9 percent of his passes for just 962 yards, with four touchdowns against four interceptions in five games this season.
Darnold threw for 2,527 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 games last season for the Panthers.
He has completed 59.8 percent of his passes with 54 touchdowns and 52 picks in 50 career games with the New York Jets and Panthers. He was selected by the Jets with the third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Roy, 26, was placed on injured reserve after hurting his hamstring in Week 2.
He has two tackles in two games this season and 61 to go along with one sack in 34 career contests with the Panthers.
–Field Level Media

Report: Panthers QB Sam Darnold not close to returning
Carolina Panthers backup quarterback Sam Darnold is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, however ESPN reported Monday that it’s “going to be a while” before he can return from the high-ankle sprain he suffered in August.
Darnold was placed on IR on Sept. 1, with the team saying he was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks. It’s looking to be the higher end of that estimate, at least, per the report.
The Panthers fell to 1-3 on Sunday behind an ineffective Baker Mayfield, cranking up the rumor mill about a quarterback change. Panthers coach Matt Rhule declined to speculate on that.
“I don’t have any thoughts on anything moving forward yet,” Rhule said Sunday. “I don’t know anything in terms of anybody health wise so I can’t make any comments on that. I think for me right now, obviously, we are going to go back. We are going to watch the tape. We are going to try to get these things corrected.”
Darnold, 25, was injured in the team’s final preseason game when Buffalo Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer rolled over his left foot. He was carted off the field.
Mayfield, 27, has completed 54.7 percent of his passes for a meager 747 yards, with four touchdowns against three interceptions in four games as the starter.
Darnold was 4-7 as the Panthers’ starter in 2021.
–Field Level Media