Daniel Jones has found his new team.
The former New York Giants quarterback is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced Wednesday. The move came after Jones requested his release from the Giants after losing his job earlier this month. According to ESPN, The Vikings will pay him $375,000 for the rest of the season while the Giants will pay him $11.8 million.
“Good addition to our quarterback room,” O’Connell said of Jones. “I’ve always been a fan. Love, really like a person, like people, like makeup. And then the player Daniel Jones, I think he has a lot of things ahead of him that are going to be really good things that we’re looking forward to working with him. can’t do
Jones, who is expected to arrive in Minnesota on Friday, plans to sign with the Vikings’ practice squad, which will give him the opportunity to work with a non-Giants NFL coaching staff for the first time in his career. And considering starting QB Sam Darnold’s impressive turnaround with the Vikings this season, there couldn’t be a better place for a struggling quarterback to land.
“The player development side and the quarterback development side is something that is a huge passion of mine,” O’Connell said. “I just love having the opportunity to work with guys, no matter what point they’re at in their quarterback journey. … Really, our system is built around trying to help guys realize their true potential.”
Jones made his debut in the league with the Giants, who selected him with the No. 6 overall draft pick in 2019 out of Duke as Eli Manning’s eventual replacement. While he has consistently been the team’s starter over the past six seasons, he has struggled to find much success — especially recently, which worsened after the team signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract in March 2023. The departure of running back Saquon Barkley, who is now in the midst of a career season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After a very difficult campaign in 2022 — when Jones led the team to a 9-7-1 record and the playoffs — his play has largely gone downhill since then. Jones has thrown for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He led the Giants to five straight losses before the team benched him in favor of third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito before Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That dropped Jones to the team’s third-string quarterback, behind backup Drew Lock, and sent him to the scout team. He read a long statement that sounded like a farewell to the organization a few days later, and then asked to be released on Friday. The team quickly granted the request.
Jones went 22-44-1 in six seasons as a starter and had one winning season.
“There were some great times, but of course we all wish there was more to it,” Jones said in a statement before his release. “I take full responsibility for my role in not winning more. Nobody wanted to win the game worse than me and I gave everything I had on the field and in my preparation.”
Landing with the Vikings could lead to bigger things for Jones if he can learn and grow. Darnold’s deal with the Vikings is for one year, meaning the only QB they have signed through 2025 is JJ McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick who is recovering from a torn meniscus. If Jones impresses the coaches, he could be in contention for the Minnesota job. And if he impresses other NFL teams, he could be at the top of the replacement list if another QB misses time this season.
It’s unclear what will happen with Jones after this season or if he’ll be able to work his way back into a starting role in the league. But with the way his career was going with the Giants, who have some very obvious issues of their own to work out beyond the struggles at quarterback, an exit from the franchise seemed inevitable.
Now Jones gets a chance to restart elsewhere.
