Reports: Vikings adding free-agent QB Sam Darnold, RB Aaron Jones
The Minnesota Vikings will have a dramatically new look in the offensive backfield next season with the addition of quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones.
One day after losing their starting quarterback for the past six seasons, Kirk Cousins, to free agency, the Vikings responded on Tuesday, striking one-year deals with former No. 3 overall pick Darnold and ex-Packer Jones.
According to NFL Media reports, Darnold's deal is for $10 million and Jones' is for $7 million.
Expected to be the New York Jets' franchise quarterback when he was taken with the third pick in 2018 out of USC, Darnold struggled mightily in his three seasons as a starter, never completing more than 62% of his passes or throwing for 20 touchdowns.
The Jets traded him to the Carolina Panthers in 2021 but he lost the starting job the following season, finally ending up as a backup this past year with the San Francisco 49ers.
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Darnold, 26, has yet to take a snap in a playoff game in his NFL career.
Jones, meanwhile, was cut by the Packers with one year remaining on his $12 million, non-guaranteed contract after spending his entire seven-season career in Green Bay and rushing for nearly 6,000 yards over that span.
Jones led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020.
During an injury-plagued 2023, he ran for 656 yards and two touchdowns in 11 regular-season games, but dramatically improved his performance in the playoffs − rushing for 226 yards and three touchdowns in a wild-card win over Dallas and a loss to the 49ers in the divisional round.