The Minnesota Vikings are making all of the rumors official, signing former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to a free agent contract that’s worth a reported $375,000 for the rest of 2024.
It’s a low-risk, potentially high-reward signing for Minnesota, which can now work with the 27-year-old Jones and see how he fits with alongside Nick Mullens behind starter Sam Darnold.
Speaking of Darnold, Minnesota’s interest in Jones all but signals the end of the resurgent QB’s Twin Cities tenure at the conclusion of this year’s playoff run. Darnold is expected to fetch major interest — and cash — as an unrestricted free agent this March, and the team always seemed more likely to explore other veteran, stop-gap options en route to future starter J.J. McCarthy. Jones should now be the frontrunner for that role in the wake of Wednesday’s news.
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.
Money talks, though, and if Aaron Rodgers decides to hang it up in 2025, it’s feasible to see the Jets entering the offseason bidding war for Darnold’s services. He’s not expected to fetch top-of-the-market QB money — closer to around $30 million in average annual value — and he could make for a sound double-down strategy if the Jets decide to go back to the well at quarterback in the 2025 draft.
Darnold may prefer to stay with O’Connell in Minnesota, as he’s having a career year throwing the ball to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, and has been supported by a strong running game and championship-caliber defense. The Vikings likely have other plans, though, as they’ll have the leg-up on retaining Jones this offseason if they identify him as a fit over the next couple months.
Darnold might not end up with the team that drafted him No. 3 overall in 2018, but he’ll likely be playing elsewhere on a new multi-year contract in 2025.
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