Are you Jonesing for some more “bird” this weekend?
You got to love the Daniel Jones pickup. I know there is a decent segment of the fanbase (here) that is not impressed. The team is not paying him anything and they could possibly be in position to get a compensatory pick if he leaves.
Picture this scenario. Darnold and Jones both leave and both get north of 10M per year. That is going to help with the compensatory picks provided the Vikings do not sign two big time free agents. I expect at least one at cornerback.
It is a win win move!
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Kevin O’Connell: Vikings Excited About Possibility of Adding Daniel Jones
“Excited about the possibility of adding Daniel Jones to our organization, still kind of working through the final details on that, some roster maneuvering and things, but we’re expecting, anticipating Daniel to arrive Friday morning, and very much looking forward to that good addition to our quarterbacks room,” O’Connell said before reinforcing, “I love our quarterbacks room already.”
“I think Sam Darnold has had a fantastic year so far. He has been everything that I personally hoped and then some when we brought him in here back in the spring,” O’Connell said. “And I’m just so proud of the way he’s worked, and I’m so proud of Sam for, you know, what he’s been able to do coming into this building, and really take our group, to be a major force behind us being 9-2.
“Clearly a big, big fan of Nick, and I think that’s on display when I call some of those plays on what it seems like Nick’s only allowed to come in the game on third down and throw the ball to Aaron Jones for conversions,” O’Connell added. “But it goes beyond that. He’s a true pro. What he’s been able to do, even last year, moving our football team and really showing the true professionalism of a guy constantly being ready to roll.
“I think Brett Rypien has done a lot of really good things since he’s come in here, smart, true pro’s pro, and think I gave him my third or fourth team player of the week award this morning, so he’s had a positive impact,” O’Connell continued. “And then clearly J.J. McCarthy, with where he was at when he did get injured, my excitement level has never been higher for J.J. and what he’s going to be for this organization, and he’s doing a great job right now with his rehab, really turning the corner and being a major part of quarterback meetings. And the time I get with him is always a real blessing and a great thing for me personally. So I love being around him.”
Jones has completed 1,437 of 2,241 passes (64.1%) and thrown 70 touchdowns against 47 interceptions in regular-season games. He’s also used his feet on 399 rush attempts, totaling 2,179 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
“There’s really no pressure on anyone other than, ‘Let’s just have a really good day,’ on his first day,” O’Connell said. “Figure out where he needs to be for meetings, figure out where he goes to eat, spend time with his new teammates, and then we build on that the next day and the next day, and the football element and the quarterback element will, for sure, be a part of it, and it’s something I look forward to.”
Answering 8 questions raised by the Vikings signing Daniel Jones
Why did the Vikings want him?
For the Vikings, signing Jones is a low-risk move with some potential upside both this season and beyond. They’re adding a 27-year-old quarterback who is a former top-ten pick with 71 games of NFL starting experience. As soon as he arrives in Minnesota, they’ll begin teaching him their offense and coaching him up, with the possibility that he could provide a higher floor and ceiling than Nick Mullens as their backup down the stretch of this season — just in case something happens to starter Sam Darnold. They also get to evaluate Jones as a potential backup or bridge option for 2025, when currently-injured rookie J.J. McCarthy is their only quarterback currently under contract.
Why did Jones choose the Vikings?
It almost certainly has a lot to do with Kevin O’Connell’s reputation as a coach who elevates quarterbacks. Just look at what KOC has done with Darnold — another former top-ten pick who flamed out with a New York franchise — this year. Last season, he had Kirk Cousins playing the best football of his career before his injury, then won a couple games on the fly after trading for Josh Dobbs. O’Connell’s resume speaks for itself, and he’s had a relationship with Jones that dates back to the pre-draft process in 2019.
Jones could’ve gone to a bad team like the Raiders, where he would’ve had a chance to play right away in the wake of Gardner Minshew’s injury. But he reportedly wanted to sign with a contender, learn in a quality football environment, and have a chance to be a backup. The Vikings check all of those boxes. They’re 9-2 and they have everything a quarterback could ask for in terms of coaching staff, offensive talent, and organizational stability. In the short-term, Jones likely sees a path to supplanting Mullens in the backup role. And we’ll get into this in more detail shortly, but he may also see a path to sticking around in Minnesota next year and possibly even starting games.
Is there a chance Jones re-signs with the Vikings next year?
Definitely. The implications this has for the 2025 season shouldn’t be overlooked. Darnold, barring a late-season collapse, has played well enough to get a sizable multi-year contract from another team in the spring. The Vikings were never planning on being the ones to give him that deal after this season, no matter how well he played (the possibility of Darnold coming back can’t be 100 percent ruled out, though it remains highly unlikely). But they’ll still need a high-quality backup or insurance option to pair with McCarthy, especially with this year’s No. 10 overall pick out of Michigan coming off a major knee injury.
That’s why Jones could make sense for the Vikings beyond this year. He isn’t going to command starter money as a free agent, so he could be in play for Minnesota at a relatively cheap price. The Vikings are hoping that a fully-healthy, 22-year-old McCarthy takes their QB1 job next offseason and runs with it for the next decade. But they also need a fallback plan if his knee issue lingers or he simply needs more development before being ready to take the reins. By bringing in Jones now, they can evaluate him as a candidate to fill that role next year. Whether he’d be a bridge QB or a true backup would all depend on how McCarthy looks.
Details emerging of how much the Vikings will pay Daniel Jones this year
If Jones stays on the practice squad, he’ll make a little over $100,000 over the rest of the season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. If or when he is signed to the 53-man roster, he’d make as much as $375,000 this year, depending on how many weeks are left. It’s a very small financial commitment from the Vikings, which is the case because Jones cleared waivers and became a free agent.
Justin Jefferson, Sam Darnold react to Vikings signing Daniel Jones
Jones is hoping for a career renaissance after struggling since signing a four-year, $160 million contract with the Giants last year. He missed the end of the 2023 season after tearing his ACL in early November, and New York decided to cut him last week after starting the 2024 season 2-9.
Speaking in the wake of Jones’ signing, Darnold told the media on Wednesday he is “very happy” to be teammates with Jones.
“I’ve spent some time with him in the past. Great guy. He’s played a lot of football, so just to be able to draw from his experience in certain things is going to help this football team,” he said.
“We’re always excited to get somebody new into this building, regardless of the history or things they’ve done in the past, and Sam [Darnold] is a great example of that, just having Sam’s career not go the way he wanted it go, for him to come here and now we’ve got a 9-2 start,” Jefferson said.
“You can’t just let the past be everything, and tell the story, I want him to come here and be relaxed, let the past be the past … hopefully this building is a great building for him to come in.”
Vikings steal linebacker from Packers at the worst possible time
The Green Bay Packers face a potential nightmare at linebacker entering their Thanksgiving Day game against the Miami Dolphins.
Neither Edgerrin Cooper nor Isaiah McDuffie have practiced this week, which is an ominous sign for their chances of playing. Cooper is sidelined with a hamstring injury he picked up during practice last week, while McDuffie is dealing with an ankle issue.
Problem number one? The Packers are down to three linebackers on the 53-man roster. When they’re in base defense, that gives them enough linebackers to fill the starting positions, but that’s it.
The second problem? One of those linebackers is rookie Ty’Ron Hopper, who has only played seven defensive snaps this season. The Dolphins’ offense features similarities to the Packers’, using pre-snap motion to confuse defenses. It puts stress on linebackers, as Green Bay’s offense achieved against the San Francisco 49ers’ defense last week.
Packers lose their only practice squad linebacker to the Vikings
The Packers could’ve elevated former first-round pick Jamin Davis to the gameday roster. They signed Davis to the practice squad last month, and while he may not have been a key part of this week’s game plan, he could’ve provided cover. Davis has plenty of experience, having started 36 games in the NFL.
The key here is the Packers could’ve elevated him. They no longer can.
After placing Ivan Pace Jr. on injured reserve, the Minnesota Vikings signed Davis to their 53-man roster from the Packers’ practice squad. Talk about bad timing.
It leaves Green Bay with zero linebackers on the practice squad. Depth at the position is so important in Jeff Hafley’s system, and the Packers now risk entering Thursday’s game with only three linebackers, barring a last-minute move.
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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FTP!!!!!
Cardinals at Vikings (-3.5, 45.5 o/u)
The Cardinals are much better at running the ball and playing defense at home for Jonathan Gannon. The Vikings have become red-hot offensively again, and they will be ready to go after Kyler Murray in what becomes a one-dimensional attack. Minnesota gets the key sacks and turnovers to win comfortably again.
Pick: Vikings win 21-13 and cover the spread.
Minnesota Vikings Waive Recently Activated UDFA, Sign Nick Muse to 53-Man Roster
There has been a lot of construction going on with the roster, the last couple days. On Tuesday, we saw them place ILB Ivan Pace Jr. on Injured Reserve. They also signed inside linebacker Jamin Davis, off the Green Bay Packers practice squad, and activated UDFA outside linebacker Gabe Murphy off of IR.
Wednesday was more of the same… but different. After days of rumors connecting Daniel Jones to the Minnesota Vikings, it was announced this morning that he was indeed signing with the purple. This afternoon, more roster moves were announced. One day after being activated to the 53-man, Gabe Murphy was waived.
As long as he isn’t claimed, it’s expected that the UDFA out of UCLA will land on the Vikings’ practice squad. Taking his place on the active roster is long-snapper, Jake McQuaide. Tight end Nick Muse was signed to the practice squad, after he was activated to the 53-man on November 23, then waived on November 25.
Daniel Jones is not expected to arrive in Eagan, until Friday, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell. That means we’ll probably see him added to the practice squad roster, at that time. That’s probably around the same time that Murphy will join the practice squad, as well.
Sam Darnold predicted to leave Vikings for AFC in 2025 following Daniel Jones signing
Kris Knox of Bleacher Report is among those who expect Darnold to move on from Minnesota this offseason, and he explored a full-circle destination in his latest NFC Scouting report: the New York Jets. Here was Knox’s take:
“This is, admittedly, unlikely. Sam Darnold was drafted by the Jets, looked like an absolute bust and was exiled to the wilderness of being a backup quarterback. After watching him bounce around the league, there would be a bit of irony to see him become the answer the Jets have been looking for at quarterback. While Darnold might not want to go back to Gang Green, it could be one of the few places he could go and be the immediate starter. If they get a new head coach or offensive coordinator who is from the Kevin O’Connell tree of thinking, it could work.”
Darnold going back to the Jets would be hilarious, and probably wouldn’t be met with much fanfare from the New York faithful.
Yore Mock
Trade Partner: Browns
Sent: Pick 28, Pick 164
Received: Pick 39, Pick 70
…
Trade Partner: Panthers
Sent: Pick 39
Received: Pick 47, Pick 107
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Trade Partner: Panthers
Sent: Pick 70
Received: Pick 71, Pick 161
…
Trade Partner: Steelers
Sent: Pick 146
Received: Pick 154, Pick 226
…
Trade Partner: Bills
Sent: Pick 154, 2026 HOU 7th
Received: Pick 173, Pick 205, Pick 239
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47. Jihaad Campbell LB Alabama 6’3” 244
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
71. T.J. Sanders DT South Carolina 6’4’ 290
Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
100. Omarr Norman-Lott DT Tennessee 6’3” 315
Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
107. Sebastian Castro S Iowa 5’11” 205
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
161. Luke Kandra OG Cincinnati 6’4” 323
Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
173. Lathan Ransom S Ohio State 6’1” 209
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
205. Jonah Monheim OC USC 6’5” 310
Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
226. J. Michael Sturdivant WR UCLA 6’3” 205
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
239. TY Robinson DL Nebraska 6’6” 311
Photo by Nathanial George/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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