Former Vikings QB Proven Correct by Betting on Himself
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings took former third overall pick Sam Darnold, whose NFL career was floundering, and turned him into a stud.
Darnold set new career marks in passing yards (4312), passing touchdowns, (35), and completion percentage (66.2%), helping lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record. As a result, he will be paid $100.5 million over the next three seasons by the Seattle Seahawks.
Now, another former Vikings QB will be getting a new opportunity to start with his new team after spending the final six weeks of the season as Darnold’s backup. That QB is, of course, Daniel Jones, who will be getting starting snaps for the Indianapolis Colts this year.
Former Vikings QB Lands New Starting Gig
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported the decision on Tuesday via a post on X, writing, “The #Colts are naming Daniel Jones their starting quarterback, per sources. After a training camp competition with Anthony Richardson, Jones — the former #Giants starter — gets the ball Week 1 vs. Miami.”
The decision came as a shock to many as Jones was just ostracized from New York last November due to subpar play. The sixth-year player went 2-8 in his 10 starts, totaling 2070 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He was benched in favor of Tommy DeVito and eventually released.
This all went down after Jones signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Giants following the 2022 season in which New York finished 9-7-1, landed a Wild Card spot, and upset the Vikings inside U.S. Bank Stadium to win a Wild Card round playoff game.
It was one of Jones’ better seasons as he completed 67.2% of his passes and threw for 3205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just five interceptions over 16 starts.
Ultimately, the decision was most surprising because it was just over two years ago that the Colts decided to utilize the fourth overall pick to bring in Anthony Richardson out of Florida.
Of course, the first two seasons of Richardson’s career have been disappointing, with injuries playing a major factor.
Richardson has started just 15 games over his first two years, with the Colts going 8-7 in those games. In total, he’s thrown for 2391 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while completing just 50.6% of his passes.
Richardson does offer promise, though, with a cannon arm and elite athleticism that has helped him rush for an additional 720 yards and 11 touchdowns during his career.
Now, it remains to be seen exactly what happens with Richardson as Jones takes over what was meant to be his starting role for years to come when the Colts made that draft selection in the spring of 2023. Perhaps the young QB gets traded (the Vikings could use a QB2 at this point), or maybe he just sits behind Jones, hits the reset button, and really gets an opportunity to watch and learn for a season.
Ultimately, though, it seems as if Jones was correct to bet on himself and sign a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts this offseason rather than signing a deal to remain as a backup in Minnesota.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
You must be logged in to post a comment.