After Critical Loss, Vikings Show that they Couldn’t Lose
To a certain extent, losing Daniel Jones stings for the Vikings. The 27-year-old passer spent part of last season as a Viking, learning the system while stepping away from the glaring New York spotlight. Retaining him as a high-end QB2 made a pile of sense.
In the end, however, the Colts won out.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero offered the word: “Former #Giants QB Daniel Jones plans to sign with the #Colts on a one-year deal, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The #Vikings wanted to retain Jones, who finished last season on their practice squad. Instead, he’ll compete with Anthony Richardson in Indy.”
The Vikings Losing Daniel Jones Can Still Be a Win
Just before free agency, PurplePTSD published an important reminder about how the GM operates.
Essentially, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is someone who refuses to be boxed into a corner. He’s more than willing to say “no” when a deal gets too pricey. Consider how the GM discussed leverage previously: “Your leverage in a negotiation is your willingness to do something else. So I gotta say, ‘I will not do this because I would rather do these three other things and make our team better.’ It’s gotta mean something.”
With Jones, the number simply got too high, so Adofo-Mensah said no.
Kick it back to Pelissero: “It’s a one-year deal worth up to $17.7 million for Daniel Jones in Indianapolis.” Too much for the role he would be given, which was to compete for the QB1 spot while being considered an underdog to take the top spot.
Minnesota now has a clear need for a backup quarterback. Janik Eckardt discusses as much when covering the Jones news, writing, “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.”
Eckardt goes on: “Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew, and Jacoby Brissett could be other candidates for the gig.”
So, there is indeed a problem that needs to be fixed. The game’s most important position needs added depth. Ideally, the depth piece will be able to mentor McCarthy, push McCarthy, and step-in for McCarthy if injury strikes.
But then there’s the upside. Consider the word from Nick Korte of Over the Cap, explaining that the Jones signing is “easily enough to get the Vikings’ 3rd round 2026 compensatory [pick] for Sam Darnold going to Seattle back on the board.”
Minnesota’s Tuesday morning spending spree temporarily took the 3rd-Round comp pick off the board for the Vikings (as Korte noted). Seeing Jones depart puts the pick back into play.
Folks, remember that Jones joined Minnesota for essentially nothing. Just a small fraction of the team’s budget after getting let go by the Giants during the 2024 season. He’s now being factored into the mix to gain a Day 2 selection in 2026. Not bad, right?
Keep an eye on how things develop, folks. Minnesota has a lot of belief in McCarthy but he won’t go into the ’25 season without the needed support.
Someone is going to be added at quarterback. PurplePTSD is going to have you covered the whole way.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Vikings Unable to Secure First-Choice Quarterback Target
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.