The Minnesota Vikings have not appeared the most viable landing spot for Sam Darnold for weeks, but now some of the same questions are circling Daniel Jones.
Jones joined the team after the New York Giants cut him mid-season, just half of a year into his $160 million contract, which Jones signed — somewhat ironically — a couple of months after besting the Vikings in a Super Wildcard Weekend playoff game in Minnesota in January 2023.
Jones never took a snap for the Vikings, playing behind Darnold and Nick Mullens for the entirety of his tenure with the team in 2024 and into the playoffs in January 2025. However, he learned the playbook, familiarized himself with the team’s skill position stars like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and developed his game under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
The Vikings have long understood that bringing back Darnold would be complicated and circumstantial. However, those circumstances have not fallen their way. Both the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers will make strong runs at the 27-year-old QB as free agency kicks off on Monday, March 10, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
That means that Jones is likely about to become far more important to Minnesota as a veteran presence to either compete with J.J. McCarthy and/or back him up at some point in 2025.
Selling Jones on a potential backup role was probably already going to be a difficult hurdle for the Vikings to navigate. Doing so now at an increased price due to the bump in Jones’ leverage because of Darnold’s likely departure complicates the situation further and is the first bit of bad news for Minnesota on the Jones front.
Vikings, Colts Top 2 Contenders for Daniel Jones in Free Agency
The second issue is that the strong interest around the NFL in Darnold, who never had a particularly good season before 2024, is indicative of how desperate several teams are at the QB position. It also points to how few legitimate options exist to fill the pervasive need under center across the league.
Enter the Indianapolis Colts.
That franchise benched its former No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson during his second professional season in 2024. And while Richardson got back into the starting lineup, the Colts’ belief in him as the franchise quarterback is clearly wavering. As such, Russini reported — also on Sunday — that Indianapolis is the top contender for Jones in free agency alongside Minnesota.
“The Vikings and Colts are expected to be the leading contenders to sign Daniel Jones, per source,” Russini wrote on X. “The 27 year old will most likely have to make a decision: play for HC Kevin O’Connell or HC Shane Steichen.”
Colts Can Offer Daniel Jones Better Situation Than Vikings
The Vikings have the edge in that the offensive roster in Minnesota is clearly superior to the one in Indianapolis. The Vikings also had more success, winning 14 games last season compared to the Colts’ 8-9 record.
Minnesota also has O’Connell, who just revitalized Darnold’s career to the tune of 4,300 yards passing and 35 touchdowns, which now could earn him up to $40 million annually.
Thus, just one year with O’Connell could allow Jones to rebuild his value the way Darnold did. At that point, Jones hits free agency, gets paid and clears a path for McCarthy to take over the starting role in 2026 with two years remaining on his rookie deal plus a relatively affordable team option for 2028.
However, one can sum up the problem for Minnesota in a solitary question: What happens to Jones if O’Connell and company think McCarthy is ready to start Week 1?
Indy won’t hand Jones the starting job, he’ll have to beat out Richardson. The same will be true of McCarthy in Minnesota. However, the Colts have seen plenty of Richardson and remain unconvinced. Meanwhile, the Vikings view McCarthy in a materially different way, as he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself.
Minnesota spent the No. 10 overall pick on McCarthy in 2024, so getting him under center in the regular season as soon as possible is a priority. Jones is a great security blanket to have, but he could be a costly one. And who is to say Jones wouldn’t rather take less money in 2025 for a better chance to start, even if he has to do so on a lesser team in Indianapolis?
