Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said this week that Sam Darnold will open training camp as their No. 1 quarterback, per Kevin Seifert.
O’Connell added the first two weeks of camp will be “competitive” for many positions, meaning Darnold being their starting quarterback is not a done deal and rookie QB J.J. McCarthy could still compete for the first-team role.
Darnold, 26, is a former first-round pick of the Jets back in 2018. He was in the final year of a four-year, $30.370 million rookie contract when he was traded to the Panthers.
Carolina exercised Darnold’s fifth-year option for 2022 after acquiring him from New York. He made a base salary of $18.858 million in 2022 under the option.
Darnold was an unrestricted free agent for the first time this offseason when he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the 49ers.
In 2023, Darnold appeared in 10 games with one start and completed 28-46 of his pass attempts (60.6 percent) for 297 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for a touchdown.
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