When the New York Giants finally elected to move on from quarterback Daniel Jones, it felt like the entire NYG fanbase was just waiting to see where he’d end up — not just in 2024 but long-term.
As we know, Jones decided to choose the Minnesota Vikings as his first NFL destination post-Giants, and after the way the Vikes’ season ended in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, some believe the offseason could shake out with Jones continuing on as Minnesota’s next QB1.
“After the New York Giants released him, Daniel Jones and his representation had to factor in a few things when considering his next stop,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on January 16. “He chose the Minnesota Vikings for a reason.”
Continuing: “Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is one of the league’s finest offensive play-callers, with experience as a former NFL quarterback himself. Sam Darnold pieced together a career year with the Vikings after being considered a significant draft bust, but he was only on a one-year deal. The Vikings also spent the 10th overall pick on J.J. McCarthy last year, but he has yet to show whether he can be their long-term answer under center.”
“Essentially, Jones got a head start on where he’d like to be and used it as chance to build experience in the system and gain familiarity with everyone within the organization,” Sobleski eventually concluded. Adding that “it’s easy to envision Jones re-signing with the Vikings and possibly even starting if McCarthy struggles or gets injured again.”
Vikings GM Confirms Daniels Jones as ‘Potential Option’ in 2025, Calls Signing ‘Great Opportunity’ for Both Sides
At his end-of-season press conference on January 16, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah addressed signing Jones late in the season, calling him a “potential option” for 2025.
“That was one of the good parts about that move, was trying to give ourselves options depending on what potentially could happen this offseason,” Adofo-Mensah admitted. “That was a great opportunity for us, and for Daniel [Jones] also — it’s two ways to see if this is the building he wants to be in.”
“I’ll keep our conversations private in our exit interviews,” the Vikings GM concluded, “but he’s a potential option for us going forward.”
Similarly, O’Connell was very complimentary of Jones’ progress within his system at the end of the year.
Potential Giants QB Target Sam Darnold Could Land $40 Million Per Year in NFL Free Agency
Ironically, if Darnold does leave in free agency, one of his top suitors could be the Giants. Within the same article, Sobleski labeled Big Blue Darnold’s number one scheme fit outside of Minnesota.
“Darnold thrived in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offensive scheme,” the analyst noted. “He would be best served playing under a coach with a similar approach.”
“At the moment, none of the teams in dire need of a quarterback fit the bill, either at head coach or offensive play-caller,” Sobleski went on. “However, the New York Giants aren’t too far removed from Brian Daboll being the NFL Coach of the Year and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka drawing significant attention as a highly regarded candidate to lead a team.”
It would be quite humorous if the Giants and Vikings swapped starting QBs in 2025. One could argue that NYG would come out on the better end of that exchange in terms of talent, but they’d certainly lose out financially.
According to Spotrac, Darnold is expected to make somewhere around $40.1 million per year in free agency — which is right around the current franchise tag number for quarterbacks.
If Minnesota doesn’t think he’s worth that, they could easily let him go, replacing him with a more cost-effective Jones. The old buy-low strategy, compared to the Giants who would be paying a premium for Darnold coming off a career season.
In fact, with McCarthy waiting in the wings, Sobleski is seemingly betting that the Vikings will move forward with the cheaper of the two veterans.
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Ex-Giants’ Daniel Jones ‘Easy to Envision’ Replacing Potential $40 Million QB