How Daniel Jones affects the Vikings, Sam Darnold, JJ McCarthy

EAGAN, Minn. — The smile said it all. Pressed Monday about his interest in signing free agent quarterback Daniel Jones, Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell delivered 10 words (one of the shortest answers he’s ever given in a news conference) and then he pursed his lips in a failed attempt to suppress a growing smile.

“I’m not really going to get into that right now,” O’Connell said.

There will be no reason to skip the topic Wednesday, or move on, after the Vikings signed the former New York Giants quarterback to a one-year contract for the remainder of the season. But an updated question remains valid: Why exactly were there reasons to smile?

Jones failed so spectacularly as the Giants’ starter this season that the team decided it was better for the franchise to not just bench him, but bury him on the depth chart and then waive him, rather than risk an injury that could trigger 2025 guarantees. . Since New York selected him with the No. 6 pick in 2019, Jones ranks 27th among 39 eligible quarterbacks in QBR.

The answer lies in the complicated quarterback matrix the Vikings find themselves in, one that seemed destined to remain dormant until the offseason but will now loom large in the public discussion surrounding the team.

Starter Sam Darnold joined Minnesota on a one-year contract during the offseason and exceeded all expectations by leading the Vikings to a 9-2 record, having surpassed his career-high in touchdown passes (20 ), and could command a considerable number of free passes. agent contract.

Darnold is 27 years old and perhaps in the prime of his career, and re-signing him would make sense in the abstract. But rookie JJ McCarthy, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, is the team’s quarterback of the future. Adding a market-level veteran contract for Darnold would negate the advantage of having a starter on a rookie contract in roster construction. Additionally, McCarthy’s performance during training camp suggested he was close to ready to go even at that point. At the time, O’Connell said, “I truly believe JJ has confirmed to me and many of our coaches and players that we have the right man in the building for the future.”

McCarthy is also the only quarterback under contract for the 2025 season, as backups Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien also have expired deals. Even if you assume McCarthy will fully recover from surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, one that required a second surgery earlier this month to address swelling, the Vikings would need to pair him with a veteran of some sort.

That’s probably the best way to think about Wednesday’s move. It’s pretty unlikely the Vikings will need him to play this season, assuming Darnold stays healthy and maintains his level of play. (However, Vikings fans will remember that the team went through four quarterbacks in 2023. It can happen.)

O’Connell has earned a reputation as one of the best quarterback tutors in the NFL, and his work with Darnold this season should serve as a resume-defining accomplishment. He led the team’s transition from Kirk Cousins ​​this spring, ultimately settling on a combination of Darnold and McCarthy, and said Monday that he had a strong evaluation of Jones ahead of the 2019 draft. That season, O’Connell was the Washington’s offensive coordinator and ultimately saw the Giants select Jones with the No. 6 pick, while Washington selected Dwayne Haskins with the 15th pick.

At the very least, the Vikings have a chance to see Jones up close and work with him months before they have to make a decision during the offseason to build position depth around McCarthy.

Jones, meanwhile, will get the benefit of attending one of the NFL’s top quarterback schools before needing to promote himself in free agency. He’ll start on the Vikings’ practice squad, so he’ll also have the opportunity to sign with another team if a starting quarterback falls over the next three weeks.

Could Jones be the player the Vikings want behind or alongside McCarthy in 2025? Maybe. That would put Jones in a similar situation to what Darnold found himself in as the 49ers’ backup in 2023, a move that helped spur his arrival in Minnesota. There’s nothing wrong with finding out sooner rather than later. The only risk, however, is adding another veteran quarterback in the midst of a playoff push, suggesting the team is already thinking about when its current starter leaves.

Darnold has been rock solid through some ups and downs during his brief tenure with the Vikings, and he has been careful to avoid public discussion about his past or future. So Jones’ arrival might not matter much, but it will at least require an extra level of management from O’Connell, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.

There will be a lot of smiles in Minnesota today, along with a reminder that the future may come faster than you think.