Nate Stanley Becomes First Vikings Rookie To Officially Sign Contract
The Vikings have signed former Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley, the team announced on Monday afternoon. The seventh-round pick is the first of the Vikings' 15 draft picks to officially sign his rookie contract.
Stanley was the 13th selection made by Rick Spielman in the 2020 NFL Draft, and the 244th overall pick. Based on slot value, his deal will be worth $3.37 million over the next four years. Stanley's 2020 cap hit will be $610,000. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press has the full details:
This has been a unique year for NFL rookies because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In a typical year, the Vikings would've signed all of their draft picks by now. But because they've been unable to get players into their facility yet, that process is going much slower than ever.
That's been the case across the league. Only seven of the 32 first-round picks from this year's draft have signed their contracts at this point, and fewer than 100 of the 255 total players selected have done so.
Stanley started 39 games over the last three years for the Hawkeyes, going 27-12 and winning three straight bowl games. He threw for 8,297 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions with a completion percentage of 58.3 during his Iowa career. Stanley will compete with Sean Mannion and Jake Browning to be the Vikings' backup quarterback in 2020. If Mannion retains that job, it'll be between Browning and Stanley to see who sticks around on the practice squad at the No. 3 QB.
Stanley is bigger than Browning at 6'4", 235, and offers more arm strength. He has the arm talent to make nearly any throw, but his numbers were only decent at Iowa as he struggled with consistency in reading the field and performing against pressure.
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