Departed Viking Has Just Won the Offseason
The Minnesota Vikings were in the news all February and March because of their quarterback situation. Would they stick with Sam Darnold or pivot to J.J. McCarthy? Would they add another veteran like Aaron Rodgers? Ultimately, the club gave McCarthy the keys, traded for Sam Howell, and paired depth player Brett Rypien with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
Departed Viking Has Just Won the Offseason
In the meantime, Darnold agreed to become the new QB1 of the Seattle Seahawks, and Nick Mullens joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as Trevor Lawrence’s backup. Last year, the Vikings also added Daniel Jones to the QB room.
The exiled New York Giant had to take a step back and recalibrate. Doing that in Minnesota’s beautiful practice facility in meeting rooms with so-called QB-whisperer Kevin O’Connell made sense for the former sixth-overall pick.
This offseason, nobody outright offered him a starting gig, but the Vikings and the Indianapolis Colts wanted him to be the wingman for their young quarterbacks, McCarthy and Anthony Richardson. What sounded like a wash was actually a massive decision for Jones. He reportedly felt like his chances were better in the AFC South and picked the Colts.
Five months later, the Colts have named him the starting quarterback, while the Vikings have not even flirted with demoting McCarthy. Despite some shaky preseason contests, Jones managed to outduel Richardson.
ESPN’s Stephen Holder and Adam Schefter wrote: “The Indianapolis Colts’ months-long quarterback battle is over. Colts coach Shane Steichen has selected Daniel Jones to be Indianapolis’ Week 1 starter, sources told ESPN, opting for the veteran free-agent acquisition over the club’s 2023 first-round choice, Anthony Richardson Sr.”
The Colts drafted Richardson fourth overall in 2023. Arriving with enormous potential due to ridiculous physical tools, both with his legs and his throwing arm, he has never lived up to that bill, still badly struggling with injuries and accuracy. Last season, the Colts benched him for a while for Joe Flacco, including in their loss versus O’Connell’s purple operation.
The ESPN crew continued, “Richardson’s injuries and inconsistency prompted the decision to add competition, but he responded with a strong training camp and encouraging preseason performance. There did not seem to be much discernible separation between the two quarterbacks in camp, but in recent days, Steichen stressed that some minute factors would loom large in the decision.”
Head coach Steichen stressed Saturday, “The operation, the communication in the huddle, the checks, getting guys on the same page. The consistency of all that, obviously, is going to play a big factor in this.”
It sounds like Steichen wanted a veteran, and Jones’ experience helped him in that area. For Jones, it is the ideal opportunity to revive his career. He will play in an offense with some capable blockers up front despite two starters dipping for Minnesota, and Jonathan Taylor will attract some attention in the backfield.
Furthermore, the Colts employ some solid receivers. While none of them is a star player, Michael Pittman Jr. has shown some ability despite the alarmingly bad quarterback play, and young receivers Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, and Adonai Mitchell aren’t the worst supporting cast either. Rookie tight end Tyler Warren could be a fascinating player if he can replicate his college production.
The Vikings will follow the development in Indianapolis because their compensatory pick could improve if Jones is playing enough this year. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted, “We’ll see how many snaps Daniel Jones ends up playing, but the Vikings could be in line for a fourth-round comp pick. All because they attracted Jones with their infrastructure last fall. Just sharp process.”
Indeed, hunting compensatory picks has been a priority for the Vikings, and Jones was an obvious candidate. Someone would surely sign him as a backup (or more). It also made sense for the Vikings because they got an audition with the former starter to see if he’s a good fit for O’Connell’s profile of a backup or bridge starter.
Jones, 28, will have Richardson aiming to unseat him. Only good play from the new starter can prevent that conversation from happening.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.