Daniel Jones Could Do Vikings a Favor
Minnesota Vikings fans came somewhat close to turning into full-scale Daniel Jones fans in 2024 when he signed as a free agent in the regular season. That could happen again in 2025, but this time, the oddity will be rooting for Jones from afar as he embarks on his next chapter with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Vikings stand to benefit from Daniel Jones’ playing time in 2025. Here’s why his snaps with the Colts are worthwhile for the purple team.
Why? Well, the Vikings can snatch a fancy compensatory draft pick in 2026 if Jones plays most of the time in Indianapolis.
It’s part of the NFL’s complicated compensatory formula, and because of Jones, it could bend in Minnesota’s favor.
What’s in It for the Vikings?
Vikings Can Get Up to a 4th-Round Pick for Daniel Jones’ Departure
If Jones plays just over 60% of offensive snaps for the Colts as their starting quarterback, Minnesota will be in line to secure a 4th-Round pick next offseason. Before Jones began to trend as the likely starter in Indianapolis, the purple team would’ve been in line for a 5th-Rounder, not a 4th.
OverTheCap.com describes the compensatory process like this: “For each draft, the NFL awards at least 32 additional picks for certain players, coaches and executives who depart from their previous teams. Appendix V of the CBA and 2020 Resolution JC-2A govern the rules of the compensatory draft system. Visit OTC’s compensatory formula page and read this explainer to better understand how compensatory picks are assigned.”
As a Vikings fan, you essentially want Jones to secure the QB1 job in Indianapolis and not relinquish it until he plays 60% of the time.
One Compensatory Pick Pretty Much Set in Stone
Meanwhile, Minnesota is effectively guaranteed to grab a 3rd-Round pick — in addition to Jones’ exit — due to Sam Darnold’s free-agent choice to join the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s similar to Kirk Cousins’ 2024 move to the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings used that selection on Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton.
There’s also a compensatory watch ongoing for a possible 7th-Rounder involving wide receiver Trent Sherfield. He left for the Denver Broncos in March, and OverTheCap seems to believe that a 7th-Round pick could be on the way accordingly.
Vikings Fans Morph into Daniel Jones Fans
The request is simple for purple and goal loyalists. The team’s fan base — so long as getting a 4th-Round pick is the common goal — Jones must play well enough to earn just over three-fifths of all snaps in Indianapolis.
His head coach, Shane Steichen, faces a make-or-break campaign in 2025, and almost for certain, Steichen will play the best quarterback to win now. He may not have time to coast to a 7-10 record while Anthony Richardson continues his development. It’s why that franchise benched Richardson for a couple of games in 2024. Win now is the mantra for the Colts.
His Competition
Indianapolis drafted Richardson in 2023, and so far, he’s shown a few flashes of promise and no consistency. In fact, his NFL career to date is propped up by a few absolutely gorgeous deep balls, with the rest of his performance not getting the job done.
What’s more, the Colts revealed that Richardson is battling a shoulder injury this summer, which is why Jones as the QB1 feels likelier than ever. Jones already has an organic and opportunistic leg up on Richardson in the summer quarterback competition because Richardson is working to get back on the field.
And that’s probably why Jones chose Indianapolis over Minnesota — a chance to win a QB1 job and not sit behind J.J. McCarthy, who, unlike Richardson, is firmly in line to win the big job in the Twin Cities.
Colts-Themed Media on Jones vs. Richardson
On the Jones vs. Richardson situation, Horseshow Heroes‘ Cassandra Chesser wrote this week: “One of the biggest stories of the offseason is the quarterback battle brewing for the Indianapolis Colts. Daniel Jones was brought in to compete with Anthony Richardson for the QB1 job, and both quarterbacks are looking to prove themselves in 2025.”
“Jones and Richardson have similarly struggled in their careers, and the upcoming season is seen as a make-or-break for both. When OTAs started, both seemed to be performing well, but Richardson saw an old injury flare up again, sidelining him until training camp. That gave Jones the opportunity to take all the reps, and so far, he has evidently impressed the Colts staff. Shane Steichen has been heaping praise on Jones’ performance, saying that so far, he’s been ‘phenomenal.'”
Jones’ trajectory toward QB1 seems so likely in mid-June that it would be rather odd if Richardson made a late-summer push. Richardson is now chasing the upset special.
Chesser concluded, “He’s doing so well that, evidently, even coaches from other teams are noticing. It was revealed earlier this year that Jones took a huge gamble to sign with the Colts, giving up a higher salary in Minnesota on the chance that he might win a starting job somewhere else.”
“And so far, it appears that his instincts may have been right; while the battle isn’t over yet, and Richardson might end up clawing his way back to QB1, all reports seem to indicate that the job is now Jones’ to lose.”
Jones is the satellite quarterback for Vikings fans in 2025.
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