Sam Darnold rejuvenated his career by leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024. Daniel Jones could follow a similar path and do the same with his career.
The Vikings signed Jones to their practice squad in November. He was then signed to the active roster before their Wild Card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
There was a belief that activating him for the game would help the Vikings gain a compensatory pick in the 2026 NFL draft. But Jones was one of five inactives for the Vikings, meaning he wouldn’t count toward the compensatory formula in 2026.
This could mean it was never the Vikings’ plan for Jones to hit free agency and help the formula. With Sam Darnold likely leaving and joining a quarterback-needy team in free agency, Jones could be a cheaper veteran backup for J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ 2024 first-round draft pick.
Since Kevin O’Connell arrived in 2022, the Vikings have actively tried to upgrade the entire quarterback room. They moved on from Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion as backups after the 2022 preseason for Nick Mullens, an upgrade who can step in and operate the offense. In 2024, they cut Jalen Hall and signed Brett Rypien as their QB3.
During his season-ending press conference on Thursday, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said that having several talented players at quarterback is no different than other rooms. Keeping Jones, the sixth-overall pick in the 2019 draft, would be the kind of low-risk, high-reward player Kwesi has seeked out during his tenure.
Draft pick compensation gained for Jones leaving may be intriguing for a team that doesn’t have much draft capital in the immediate future. But draft picks carry risk. The Vikings know Jones’ floor as a quarterback. If they believe that floor is higher than another potential backup quarterback’s floor, they could decide that insurance is worth more than a Day 2 or 3 draft pick.
The Vikings are excited about McCarthy, but he is coming off a torn meniscus. While the expectation is that he will be healthy and ready for Week 1 of the 2025 season, he may not be ready for OTAs or mini-camp. That would further elevate Jones’ value.
Jones is one of 25 Vikings that are set to hit free agency. Although he wouldn’t be expected to be the team’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season, Jones should be a high priority for the Vikings to re-sign this offseason.