Daniel Jones found a home within a week of his requested release by the New York Giants though it may not translate to starting soon or a bigger contract.
The former Giants quarterback and No. 6 draft pick signed with the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday where quarterback Sam Darnold has led the way so far. On Friday, Jones explained how he hopes to reap similar benefits to Darnold, who had a career turnaround this season.
Darnold, a former No. 3 pick, is going strong in his first year with the Vikings amid 2,717 yards and 21 touchdowns versus 10 interceptions. Previously, Darnold never had more than 19 touchdowns in a season.
Jones struggled with the Giants this year amid 2,070 yards for eight touchdowns versus seven interceptions. Other than a 24-touchdown rookie campaign in 2019, he hasn’t thrown for more than 15 touchdowns in a season since.
“We haven’t had a ton of crossover on film, so I haven’t watched too closely,” Jones said regarding Darnold. “But just from following him and seeing some games on TV, obviously he’s been playing at an extremely high level and doing a lot of good things. Happy for him. I’ve known Sam for a while now, and always kind of pulled for him. He’s had a great year and played at a really high level.”
Minnesota adds insurance to the quarterback room with Jones as the team makes a playoff push. Jones has two games of playoff experience while backups Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien have none. The Vikings lost rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to injury before the season started.
O’Connell didn’t say Jones will jump to the No. 2 spot and reiterated his confidence in the quarterback room.
“I think that’s important,” O’Connell said. “I wouldn’t be who I kind of claim to be and be authentically me if I didn’t have a clear, open and honest communication with those guys, which in a lot of ways I hope they weren’t surprised to hear my confidence level in them.”
“My confidence level in our current quarterback room [is high], and I only think we’re adding to it,” O’Connell added.
Jones will return to the U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 13 for the first time since his lone playoff win against the Vikings in 2023. The Vikings host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“I like U.S. Bank Stadium,” Jones said with a smile. “It is an incredible stadium, and the fans there are incredible. I’m looking forward to being back there and seeing it on Sunday.”
Jones’ career looked promising at that point when he led the Giants to a 31–24 playoff win over the Vikings. He had 3,205 yards for 15 touchdowns versus five interceptions that season, which led to a four-year, $160 million contract afterward.
“Just excited to get him in here and be teammates with him,” O’Connell said. “He’s played a lot of football, so just to be able to draw from his experience on certain things, he’s going to help this football team.”
