The Minnesota Vikings prepared for the possibility that Sam Darnold could leave in free agency by bringing in Daniel Jones midseason to get a feel for the former New York Giants quarterback.
Jones drew rave reviews from the Vikings coaching staff and, at the end of the season, was deemed a "potential option" at quarterback in 2025 by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Jones seems to have the inside lane to be the Vikings' veteran bridge with J.J. McCarthy recovering from meniscus surgery in August.
However, upon his release from New York, Jones garnered interest elsewhere that could be revisited in free agency in March.
According to "The PHNX Sports" podcast's Johnny Venerable, the Arizona Cardinals could look to bring in Jones as competition for Kyler Murray.
"The Arizona Cardinals, per sources, called about Daniel Jones multiple times within the last calendar year," Venerable said on Feb. 11. " [General manager] Monti Ossenfort had a significant interest in signing Daniel Jones. We're preparing everybody: don't be surprised if Daniel Jones is an Arizona Cardinal during free agency."
Venerable and his co-hosts went on to appraise the quarterback situation in Arizona as Murray's standing with the team has come into question. Hired in 2023, Ossenfort and head Jonathan Gannon are not as tied to the regime that drafted Murray and may want to run a more traditional offense that doesn't rely on the rollercoaster of Murray's scrambling ability.
While Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension in 2022, the 27-year-old is 14-22 in his starts since then. The Cardinals could cut or trade him next offseason, eating $20 million in dead cap, but also save $35.3 million in future cap space, according to Spotrac.
Jones would be signing on for a similar situation with the Cardinals, backing up a quarterback whose future is questionable.
A pending free agent, Jones' next stop in the league will hinge on where he sees the best opportunity to grow but also play.
McCarthy remains the long-term option in Minnesota, and as he continues to get closer to football shape, the prospects of him starting Week 1 may lead Jones to leave Minnesota.
