Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Room

When now-former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones cleared waivers, I didn’t think that there was a hint of a chance that the Minnesota Vikings would be interested in adding him to their quarterback room. Then I thought about it some more. I continued thinking about the possibility until it became a reality. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Vikings had signed Daniel Jones to their practice squad. Today, he’s reportedly arriving in Minnesota and joining the team. For now, he’s on the practice squad. We’ll see if he stays there. The addition of Jones gives the Vikings a robust quarterback room.

Sam Darnold

Nick Mullens 

Brett Rypien

Daniel Jones - practice squad

J.J. McCarthy - injured reserve

As far as the all-important quarterback position is concerned, the Vikings are in a very interesting situation. The addition of Daniel Jones makes it even more interesting. Sam Darnold was signed in the offseason to bridge the transition from Kirk Cousins to whomever. That whomever became J.J. McCarthy when the Vikings traded up one spot and selected the Michigan quarterback with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. From that moment, Sam Darnold was the Vikings quarterback of the present and McCarthy was the Vikings quarterback of the future. When McCarthy showed himself to be a quick and dedicated study, those plans might have changed. There appeared to be a competition for this year’s starting job. That ended when McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in the first preseason game. His rookie season was over before it started. Now, he’s learning while he’s rehabbing and watching Darnold lead the team. For this season, this is Darnold’s team. 

Darnold has led the Vikings to a 9-2 record. Nick Mullens has stepped in on two occasions for a shaken-up Darnold. On each occasion, Mullens converted a third-and-long and returned to the sideline as Darnold returned to the field. In my opinion, Mullens is an effective #2. If you can live with an occasional interception, he’s a fun quarterback. With Darnold and Mullens, I doubt that Jones sees the field for the Vikings this season. It would take quarterback chaos to the level of last season for Jones to see the field. No one needs or deserves that sort of bad luck in consecutive seasons. 

The addition of Daniel Jones is more for the future than it is for the present. Moving forward, this is J.J. McCarthy’s team. I believe that Sam Darnold could lead the Vikings to a Super Bowl title and he’d still be signing a big deal with another team in the offseason. McCarthy was tapped to be the Vikings next quarterback when he was selected with that tenth pick and his early development apparently surpassed expectations. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said pretty much exactly that. With or without the injury that erased his rookie season, the Vikings need to pair McCarthy with a veteran quarterback next season.  Currently, he’s the only quarterback under contract for 2025. Now, the Vikings have perhaps two months to audition Jones for next season’s veteran quarterback role. Jones also has those two months to audition the Vikings as a place to rehabilitate his NFL career. There are few, if any, better quarterback teachers than O’Connell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, and assistant quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. If Jones and the Vikings like what they see of each other, I’m hoping that he might agree to a contract similar to the $10 million deal that Darnold signed last offseason. Jones could, of course, opt for a starting opportunity elsewhere. I’m hoping that he sees learning and working with the Vikings as a better alternative. 

I really like the possibility of a 2025 Minnesota Vikings quarterback room that’s topped with J.J. McCarthy and Daniel Jones.