The Minnesota Vikings hired Kevin O’Connell as their head coach three years ago because he was widely viewed as one of the best offensive minds in football. He has lived up to that reputation thus far, and both Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold now have the pay stubs to prove it.
Darnold agreed to a three-year, $100.5M contract with the Seattle Seahawks on Monday. The deal, which includes $55M guaranteed, comes on the heels of a career-revival year for Darnold in Minnesota.
Darnold signed a one-year, $10M deal with the Vikings last offseason. He had an outstanding year and played at an MVP-caliber level at times, finishing with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Darnold led Minnesota to a 14-3 record.
The reason the Vikings were able to offer Darnold an opportunity to start is that Kirk Cousins left the team in free agency a year ago. Cousins signed a four-year, $180M deal with the Atlanta Falcons that guaranteed him $100M.
Though his 2023 season was cut short by a torn Achilles, Cousins had one of his best years as a pro under O’Connell in 2022. He threw for 4,547 yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, earning his fourth Pro Bowl selection.
For those keeping track at home, that makes $155M in combined guaranteed money that Darnold and Cousins pocketed after leaving O’Connell and the Vikings.
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