The Minnesota Vikings enter Monday Night Football with an 11-2 record and can tie the Detroit Lions for the NFC North lead. It is among the most surprising results of the season, as Sam Darnold and Minnesota have already clinched a playoff spot. They also picked up Daniel Jones when he was cut by the New York Giants. Kevin O’Connell says that the Vikings have had fun with Daniel Jones on their practice squad.
“We’ve just challenged [Jones] to absorb all the information,” O’Connell told ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, “and using that as a barometer of where we want to take our teaching moving forward as we systematically build him up. He’s very smart. … He looks like a guy, when he throws a football, that’s played a lot of football. And in the pocket, his feel. So, it’s been fun to have him here. I think he’s doing a great job. Little by little, getting him more comfortable with what we do around here.”
The future of the Vikings quarterback position is very much up in the air. Darnold was not even supposed to be the starter this season. Rookie JJ McCarthy hurt his knee in training camp and is out for the season. Darnold is a free agent after the season and Jones could be the backup in Minnesota next season.
Daniel Jones trying out for the 2025 Minnesota Vikings
While Jones struggled for the New York Giants, his NFL career is not over. For proof, he has to look no further than the starter on his own team. Darnold was brutal for the Jets and Panthers before sitting behind Brock Purdy last year. After a whole year of ingesting the Shanahan offense, he is a front-line starter in the NFL.
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As long as Jones continues to improve on the Vikings practice squad, he is in line to be their backup next year. Keeping both Darnold and McCarthy seems unlikely, especially considering Darnold is a free agent. If they think Darnold is their franchise quarterback, they can get a haul for McCarthy. Or McCarthy can be the starter and Darnold can sign elsewhere.
The Vikings are in a great position to succeed for the next decade. They have a dominant wide receiver duo with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, a great defense, and an excellent coach. Despite their incredible season, they could have a new quarterback at the beginning of 2025.