Free-agent quarterback Daniel Jones (27) has signed a $375,000 contract with the Minnesota Vikings that will last the rest of the 2024 season and will join his first practice with the team on Friday.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted that the signing of Jones happened shortly after he discussed the roles of other quarterbacks currently in the Vikings system. Jones will start on the Vikings practice squad as he gets acclimated to the playbook.
“I’ve always been a fan,” O’Connell said. “Love, really liked the person, the human being, the makeup, and then the player, Daniel Jones. I think there’s so much out in front of him that are going to be really good things that we get to personally be a part of, and I can’t wait to work with him.”
Other teams may claim Jones off of practice squad waivers within the next three weeks only under the condition that they have a starting quarterback who is injured. Jones is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season ends.
The former New York Giants (2-8) quarterback who was released by the team last week upgraded to one of the best squads in the NFC after it was reported he was looking to join a Super Bowl contender.
Jones has 2,070 passing yards on the season with eight touchdowns, seven interceptions, a rough 79.4 passer rating, and an even uglier 46.3 quarterback rating. The new Vikings quarterback will fall behind starter Sam Darnold and backups Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is enthusiastic about the team’s newest addition: quarterback Daniel Jones.
The former New York Giants starter, who was waived over the weekend, will sign with the Vikings’ practice squad as he works to rebound from a tough stretch in his career.
Daniel Jones has huge potential with Vikings
O’Connell expressed his excitement at a Wednesday press conference, saying, “He had a lot of interest, and rightly so. Daniel chose to come here. Had some great dialogue with him over the past couple of days and was really, really excited when he called me and told me he was coming.”
Jones, 26, will be joining a Vikings squad already led by starter Sam Darnold, who has had an impressive season, guiding the team to a 9-2 record.
While O’Connell is happy with his current quarterback situation, he made it clear that developing quarterbacks is a personal passion.
“I think Daniel has so much out in front of him,”O’Connell noted.
“Despite how things went with the Giants, I’m excited for the opportunity to work with him.”
O’Connell stressed that there are no immediate expectations for Jones.
“I don’t think we need to think about that at this time,” O’Connell said.
“I’m just excited to get him here. There are short-term and long-term conversations that are going on at every position on our roster.”
Jones set to compete for Vikings backup job
Though Jones is initially joining the Vikings’ practice squad, he will have an opportunity to compete for the backup quarterback role behind Darnold.
The Vikings’ recent experience with depth concerns at quarterback has made the addition even more timely.
With Jones’ arrival, the team hopes to solidify their quarterback group for the remainder of the season.
Jones, who spent his first six seasons in New York under intense scrutiny, is now poised to take the next step in his career with a team led by O’Connell, a former quarterback known for getting the best out of his signal-callers.
The move signals a fresh start for Jones and a new chapter for the Vikings as they look to continue their success this season.
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