The Minnesota Vikings wanted to bring back quarterback Daniel Jones this offseason. But the Vikings quickly pivoted, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissaro.
Speaking on the Ross Tucker football podcast, Pelissaro detailed the Vikings’ rescinded contract offer from Jones and why they moved to trade for Sam Howell instead of re-signing Jones during this off-season.
The Vikings signed Jones, the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, after he was waived by the New York Giants midseason in 2025. Jones did not play a snap with the Vikings, sitting behind starting quarterback Sam Darnold for the final six weeks of the season, but was still expected to re-sign as an insurance policy for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.
But things quickly changed, according to Pelissaro, and Jones accepted less guaranteed money — but a chance to start — when he signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
“It sounded like the Vikings thought that Jones was coming back, but then they just got the sense right at the end that he was not really convicted about coming back to Minnesota,” Pelissaro said. “[They said] ‘If you don’t want to be here, we’re not going to hold you,’ so they pulled the offer to Daniel Jones, and he goes to the Colts.”
Soft Landing Spot
Jones had worn out his welcome in New York after six uneven seasons with the team that picked him in the first round.
The Vikings signed Jones to a prorated one-year contract to back up Darnold, who was the club’s insurance policy after McCarthy’s rookie season was cut short in training camp by a torn ACL.
The Vikings expect to have McCarthy back to start this year, which is why they let Darnold walk to the Seattle Seahawks on a three-year, $105 million contract this off-season. But they still needed an NFL-caliber signal caller, just in case McCarthy’s knee recovery took a turn or if he struggled in his first year in the pros.
Though Jones has more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (10) over the past two seasons, he guided the Giants to the playoffs in 2022, and ironically won a playoff game against the Vikings before they fell to the NFC-champion Philadelphia Eagles.
That’s why they had negotiations to bring back Jones, who despite his struggles with accuracy and protecting the ball, could have been successful with a half-decent wide receiver core and offensive line.
Musical QBs
Jones may be off to compete with Anthony Richardson for the Colts’ starting QB role, but the quarterback musical chairs worked out for the remaining parties.
The Vikings had been linked to Aaron Rodgers — which would complete the Brett Favre prophecy entirely — before they acquired Howell and the No. 172 pick from Seattle for another fifth-round pick. The Seahawks got Minnesota’s pick but also its QB when it signed Darnold.
Howell is not guaranteed to back up McCarthy, since fellow journeyman NFL veteran Brett Rypien also expects to compete for the Vikings’ backup quarterback role. Unlike Howell, who started 17 games for the Washington Commanders two seasons ago, Rypien has played just 10 games in his five-season NFL career — but was on the Vikings roster last year.
Still, Pelissaro shared more insights into the Vikings’ thinking and why they think they’ll be fine no matter who the QB is.
“When you’re [Minnesota coach] Kevin O’Connell and [Vikings general manager] Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, you’ve basically formed this system and environment in which any quarterback coming in has played well, and so we think we can do different things,” Pelissaro said.
