The Minnesota Vikings have three quarterbacks scheduled to hit the open market of free agency in seven days: Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Nick Mullens.
Momentum Soars for “Other” Vikings QB
And while fans will monitor each man’s eventual destination, all signs point to Jones, formerly of the New York Giants, as a returning candidate next season to play QB2 or battle J.J. McCarthy for the Week 1 QB1 job.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler explained last weekend, “One possibility that shouldn’t be overlooked in Minnesota is re-signing Daniel Jones to pair with J.J. McCarthy, whenever he’s ready off his knee injury. People I’ve spoken to believe that’s a real consideration for the team.”
“As was told to me, McCarthy has already proven to the staff he’s the franchise quarterback, but the team won’t rush his timeline; they want the process to unfold organically, whether he’s ready now, in camp or in a future year. Jones would be a potential bridge to that and a cheaper alternative to Darnold.”
The theory makes sense. Why? Well Darnold, Jones’ teammate in 2024, will likely secure a fat contract from a new team worth $35-$45 million per season. Jones, conversely, will cost about 75% less. Then, in theory, Minnesota could turn around and employ Jones in the “Darnold role” from last year — a battle-tested passer to hedge the bet against McCarthy’s meniscus injury recovery and inexperience.
Fowler also dropped a bit of Darnold intel: “While the Vikings are open to Sam Darnold returning, I continue to hear they won’t mortgage the future to keep him. There’s not much momentum coming out of the combine that the Vikings will franchise tag Darnold, who should have multiple suitors if available. The Giants, Raiders and Titans are among the logical options.”
“And I’m not totally discounting the Steelers here — not yet, at least. As one high-ranking official with a QB-needy team pointed out to me, Darnold won 14 games for the Vikings in 2024 and is the best option on the market by a wide margin.”
Last week, ProFootballTalk.com‘s Mike Florio echoed the ESPN reporting. Florio wrote, “The situation also points to the looming possibility of Jones becoming this year’s Darnold in Minnesota. Although the Vikings have yet to re-sign Jones, they believe in him. Unless someone else makes Jones a sizable offer to become the starter, the Vikings could end up keeping him.”
If the goal was to keep Jones for the 2025 season, adding him to the active roster for the playoffs was a win-win for the purple team. It hedged the bet against his departure — Minnesota could grab a compensatory draft pick if he leaves. And if he stays, well, the roster call-up helped solidify the long-term commitment.
Overall, with free agency dangerously close, it seems more likely that Jones, not Darnold, will end up back in the Twin Cities.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.