Vikings Issue 5-Word Message on Daniel Jones’ Future With Team

The Minnesota Vikings won’t commit to Sam Darnold being on the roster next season, which means there could be a spot open for a veteran QB looking to rebuild his value.

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones inked a $160 million contract after besting the Vikings in the playoffs following the 2022 regular season. However, the Giants cut ties with Jones in the middle of the 2024 campaign, just a half season into his new four-year deal.

Jones cleared waivers and had the option to ink a rest-of-season contract with any team in the NFL, including multiple organizations that might have offered him a chance to start in 2024 and/or a good opportunity to win the starting job in 2025. Instead, Jones chose to come to Minnesota and play under head coach Kevin O’Connell as well as behind Darnold — knowing that injured rookie J.J. Mccarthy was waiting in the wings with a plan to return to the field in 2025.

That choice, and the time Jones spent learning O’Connell’s system and practicing with the Vikings’ talented array of skill players, indicates that Jones could be back in Minnesota on a short-term contract this upcoming season. The chances are even greater now that Darnold looks more likely to hit free agency in March, where he will probably garner some offers from other franchises that will be too rich for the Vikings to sensibly match.

Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke with media members on Tuesday, February 25, and issued a five-word message on the team’s perspective as to Jones and his future in Minneapolis.

Adofo-Mensah referred to Jones as, “A great option for us.”

Daniel Jones Has Talent Profile to Succeed at High Level in Vikings Offense

Jones has the same kind of big arm talent that made Darnold successful in Minnesota, though he also has an element of athleticism that contributes to a scrambling threat/designed run game from the QB position that adds an element to an offense missing from Darnold’s arsenal.

Jones has tallied 14,582 passing yards, 70 TDs and 47 INTs through the air over the course of his six-year career. He has added 2,179 rushing yards and 15 TDs on the ground. However, Jones’ talents have not translated to wins on the field, as he has a career regular season record of just 24-44-1.

Jones isn’t directly responsible for all of that on-field failure, as the Giants have struggled mightily over the last several years, earning a playoff berth just once in the past eight seasons. That isn’t to say that Jones has a multitude of excuses, either. He played his entire career, minus the 2024 campaign, with Saquon Barkley as his running back. The Philadelphia Eagles added Barkley this offseason, which was a massive piece to that team’s Super Bowl-winning equation.

Even still, Jones should be able to achieve more success in 2025 than in past years if he remains in Minnesota this season considering all of the weapons he will have at his disposal. O’Connell also game planned in a way that helped resurrect Darnold’s career and led to by far the best season of his NFL tenure, which should translate to Jones should he get the same chance.

Vikings Have Made J.J. McCarthy’s Future as Franchise QB Clear

If Jones decides to return in free agency, he will be taking a risk.

There is a large group of teams in need of a starting quarterback in 2025, and Jones would have a good chance to compete for one, or more, of those spots should he test the market. That would also likely mean more money for him over a longer contract than the one he’d be likely ink with the Vikings.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN laid out the situation during a “SportsCenter” appearance over the weekend.

“Minnesota’s stance seems to be they’re not going to mortgage the future for Sam Darnold,” Fowler reported on Feb. 21. “What was made clear to me, though, is J.J. McCarthy is the franchise quarterback at some point — whether that’s six months from now, 12 months, 18 months. They have not made that firm determination yet, but he will be the guy. So whoever steps in this year is essentially a bridge quarterback.”

Most likely, Jones would sign a one- or two-year deal if he came back to Minnesota and would have a clear chance to win the starting job during training camp if Darnold is playing elsewhere. And while a risk, the one-year bet Darnold made with the Vikings appears likely to lead to a $40 or $50 million annual average salary over a multiyear contract in free agency, which may make the juice worth the squeeze for Jones.