Vikings Unable to Secure First-Choice Quarterback Target
On Monday, the first QB dominoes fell. Sam Darnold, this year’s best free agent passer, decided to join the Seattle Seahawks, a team he daggered less than three months ago with a wonderful touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson. His departure indicates that J.J. McCarthy will take over in his sophomore season.
Vikings Unable to Secure First-Choice Quarterback Target
However, because he is still practically a rookie with some more time in the building and coming off a torn meniscus, the franchise needs a veteran next to him who could step in if necessary.
Countless of those veterans are available, but the Vikings reportedly wanted Daniel Jones to be the new Sam Darnold. Things changed on Tuesday when the signal-caller decided to join the Indianapolis Colts rather than stay with the purple.
Ian Rapoport broke the news, “Vikings QB Daniel Jones is expected to sign with the Colts, sources tell me and Tom Pelissero. It’s a one-year deal and the parties are finalizing it. While Minnesota was a strong option, Jones opts to compete with Anthony Richardson in Indy.”
Minnesota was in a bidding war with the Colts and lost (or backed out).
The intriguing aspect for Jones is that Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick from 2023, has been a huge disappointment. He was briefly benched last year for Joe Flacco, and injuries have come with his run-first playing style.
Money might have been a factor, but he surely weighed the chances to start in both situations and decided the Colts would be a better destination for him.
Adam Schefter added the compensation to the conversation: “Former Vikings QB Daniel Jones is finalizing a one-year, $14 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts, per sources. Jones had a chance to return to Minnesota, but now becomes the challenger to the Colts’ former first-round pick Anthony Richardson.”
That’s even more money than Darnold received in 2024 ($10 million), and at the point of signing, the Vikings didn’t have another option like Richardson in the building.
Jones entered the league in 2019 as the sixth overall pick of the New York Giants. Acquired to be the heir apparent to Eli Manning, Jones had three up-and-down seasons to start his career. When Brian Daboll arrived as New York’s head coach, he helped Jones to new heights, and the Duke alumnus played quite well for a year in 2022.
His 2023 season started with subpar quarterback play and ended with a torn ACL. He threw only two touchdowns and six interceptions in six starts. Last season, he recorded eight passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Ultimately, the Giants decided to cut him to avoid any risk of having to cover his injury guarantees in a worst-case scenario.
He then moved on to the Vikings, taking a couple of steps back under O’Connell, staying on the practice squad, learning the offense behind the scenes.
He didn’t appear in an NFL game and was the emergency quarterback in the playoff defeat.
Now, the Vikings need to look at other options. Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers are the two most prominent names, but they might not be what the Vikings are looking for if they prefer a real QB2 rather than a signal-caller who wants to start.
Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew, and Jacoby Brissett could be other candidates for the gig.
At this point, the Vikings employ two quarterbacks: McCarthy and last year’s QB3, Brett Rypien. Backup Nick Mullens left for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he reunites with assistant QB coach Grant Udinski.
Jones is off the board. It remains to be seen how the Vikings will fill the role.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt