Vikings Sign a New QB
Safe to say that this one was relatively predictable all around.
Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network was among the league insiders to break the news of Daniel Jones signing with the Vikings. Check it out: “The #Vikings get a new backup for Sam Darnold, while Daniel Jones gets a chance to learn under one of the NFL’s top staffs for the next couple months. He’ll be on the practice squad, giving flexibility and minimal investment for Minnesota while the #Giants pay him $11.8 million.”
Vikings Sign Daniel Jones
Pelissero adds a bit of extra context in a follow-up tweet.
“The #Vikings have only have one QB under contract in 2025,” Pelissero writes. “This gives the team and Jones a chance to work together over remainder of the season, while keeping all options open, including re-signing Sam Darnold. J.J. McCarthy’s recovery remains on schedule.”
Ian Rapoport was also on the news, offering a few more thoughts: “With Minnesota, Daniel Jones gets the opportunity to learn from excellent QB-centric coaches, while also eventually likely becoming backup QB.”
From Jones’ perspective, this move is about catching his breath as he learns under the tutelage of a highly-competent coaching staff. He won’t have the pressure of being a QB1 and nor will he need to face the New York media. Instead, he can soak up a ton of wisdom in the same manner that Sam Darnold did last year as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.
Back when the Daniel Jones craziness was first getting started, I suggested that he would make a lot of sense as a backup in Minnesota. What I didn’t foresee, however, was the speediness of their partnership. I thought that the 2025 offseason made sense but didn’t think that the 2024 season would be possible.
Consider the rationale that I tossed out there: “Just going to put it out there: don’t be shocked if the #Vikings sign Daniel Jones in the offseason. Former highly-picked passer with good athleticism who was set up to fail and deemed a draft bust. Sound familiar? McCarthy the only QB under contract in ’25. Jones as a backup.”
The No. 6 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has had a dreadful season. In fact, his season began horribly against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1; that contest finished by a score of 28-6. He went 22/42 (52.4%) for 186 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
As a franchise’s top passer, Daniel Jones leaves a little something to be desired. As a QB3/4, Daniel Jones is an excellent option. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell did good work with this deal.
Bringing him aboard the practice squad is a smart move. Doing so will be ultra cheap, minimally impacting the roughly $7.8 million in cap space (per OTC). Don’t be surprised, though, if Jones proves himself in the coming weeks and eventually takes over for Brett Rypien as the QB3 on the active roster.
Jones stands at 6’5″ and weighs 230 pounds. He is 27.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.