Daniel Jones Is the Sam Darnold Answer for Vikings
This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings must decide on a quarterback. J.J. McCarthy was their answer as a first-rounder, and Sam Darnold was only supposed to come in as a veteran bridge quarterback.
Daniel Jones Is the Sam Darnold Answer for Vikings
Fortunately or unfortunately, Darnold was amazing. Unfortunately, McCarthy got hurt. Now, the Vikings must decide if they will pay an inflated price to let Darnold be their quarterback again while McCarthy learns from him.
They shouldn’t, though. Short of signing him to a deal on the franchise tag and trading him, there’s no reason for Darnold to be back in purple. McCarthy helped the organization reset the salary cap situation, and they would be foolish to tie so much of that up in a quarterback again.
When Darnold joined the team, his addition was met with lukewarm expectations. Then he played, and Kevin O’Connell helped develop him into a quarterback capable of a playoff berth following a 14-win season. The infrastructure is largely responsible for that reality.
At the end of the season, Jones joined the Vikings after being cut by the New York Giants. He saw firsthand how O’Connell, Josh McCown, and Grant Udinski work. He can revive his career by joining them for a full season.
If there is fear that McCarthy won’t immediately be ready for Week 1, then having another bridge quarterback makes a good deal of sense. Jones would bring a higher bar than Darnold possessed when coming in. He didn’t work in New York and certainly wasn’t worth the deal they signed him to, but he would have better pieces around him in Minnesota.
Jones won’t cost anywhere close to what Darnold does this offseason. He also will likely command even less than the $10 million that the Vikings paid for Darnold as a free agent the first time around. The ability to pair Jones with McCarthy sets up an ideal quarterback room and allows O’Connell to work his magic once again.
Stop worrying about how much the Vikings should pay Darnold or if he should return for another year. It’s the backup quarterback on the roster that is the real answer.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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