Vikings QB Sam Darnold Faces Key Lesson From Daniel Jones

After being benched this week, Daniel Jones made it clear that his time with the New York Giants is over — a message that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold should heed.

That message is two-pronged: that Darnold could be Giants free-agency target for better, or for worse; and that Jones will be looking for a new team in 2025.

That could impact Darnold’s prospects of re-signing with the Vikings. Minnesota could land another former blue-chip quarterback prospect for cheap with Jones unlikely to garner any interest as a starting quarterback next season.

It’s the same situation Darnold was in since he was cast away from the New York Jets. He signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 and a one-year, $10 million deal as a reclamation starter for the Vikings in 2024.

There’s a scenario where the Vikings re-sign Darnold to a team-friendly deal and he would compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job in 2025.

However, that deal would have to be incredibly cheap considering the pool of potential free-agent backup quarterback options just got an influx of talent with Jones (a quarterback who has a 10-win season and playoff win under his belt) expected to be released.

Vikings’ Support of Sam Darnold Should Make Minnesota QB Haven

As a former No. 3 overall pick ousted out of New York himself, Darnold has shown what a former blue-chip quarterback prospect can do when put in the correct situation.

The same opportunity could be afforded to Jones, who was selected No. 6 overall in the 2019 draft.

While Jones’ name has become a punchline in watercooler conversations, the 27-year-old quarterback was coveted coming out of college for a reason. He was considered a deft decision-maker with good footwork but lacking the same arm talent as Darnold.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell managed to squeeze out wins with Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens a year ago. This season, he’s showing what he can do with a first-round quarterback prospect.

To be clear: McCarthy is O’Connell’s top priority and plan for his team’s future at quarterback. But bringing Jones into the room to learn for a season could provide the Vikings with a viable backup option.

Any quarterback looking for an opportunity to learn should flock to Minnesota.

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Vikings’ 2025 Free-Agent Options

The Vikings must find help at quarterback for the 2025 season with McCarthy the only quarterback under contract beyond this season.

Minnesota didn’t push all their chips in on McCarthy in 2024, signing Darnold as a stopgap in McCarthy’s first year.

And until McCarthy shows he’s ready to be the Vikings’ franchise quarterback, the team should explore other options that could take over and lead a talented roster.

The 2025 free-agent pool has several promising candidates.

Justin Fields is coming off a 4-2 run with the Pittsburgh Steelers before Russell Wilson returned from injury. Of course, the Aaron Rodgers-t0-Minnesota pipedream will never quite die.

But other less flashy but equally serviceable options include Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinecke and Jimmy Garoppolo.

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