Jets’ Darnold ends holdout, inks 4-year, $30.25 million contract

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Sam Darnold is signed, sealed and back under center.

The New York Jets inked the rookie quarterback to a fully guaranteed four-year, $30.25 million deal Monday, ending the contract holdout of the NFL’s No. 3 overall draft pick.

Darnold missed the first three days of training camp practice while his representatives and the team worked out the details. There wouldn’t be a fourth straight absence.

“What’s up Jets fans?” Darnold said in a video posted by the team . “Man, it’s a pleasure to be signed now. I’m very excited. Very special moment. Let’s do it. Jet up!”

Just a few minutes after the Jets announced the signing — which includes a bonus of about $20 million — on social media, Darnold made his way out to the practice field with his teammates greeting him with a “Rudy”-like slowclap .

“We were just messing around with him,” defensive end Leonard Williams said with a smile. “We gave him a little slow-clap and I think it was just more of a welcoming him back and also just a thing the guys do. We mess around with each other a lot.

“We were like, ‘Oh, he finally made it.”

Darnold spoke briefly to coach Todd Bowles as he joined the team.

“I told him he was late,” Bowles said, keeping a straight face.

A grinning Darnold made his way to the warmup line and got a pat on the shoulder from Josh McCown.

“Anybody that comes in late and holds out as a draft pick and makes a bunch of money is going to catch ribbing from the team,” Bowles said. “And this is only the start of it. But Sam has a good spirit and he’ll take it kindheartedly.”

Darnold then jumped right into position drills, handing off to running backs and throwing a few short passes before participating in team drills. After a shaky start that included a handoff, an incompletion and an intercepted pass by Doug Middleton, Darnold bounced back in red-zone drills with short touchdown tosses to fellow rookie Chris Herndon and later to wide receiver Quincy Enunwa.

The 21-year-old quarterback — who was not made available to the media after practice — is expected to compete with McCown and Teddy Bridgewater for the Jets’ starting job. But he fell behind slightly with each passing day, and it began to look uncertain as to when an agreement between the sides would come together.

“The competition has been underway,” Bowles said. “It just didn’t start today. It started (last) Thursday when we reported for camp. He’s got some work to catch up and do.”