After the Giants cut quarterback Daniel Jones and he cleared waivers, Jones took a spot on the Vikings’ practice squad. It allowed him to practice with a new team while waiting to see whether a quarterback injury elsewhere would give him an opportunity to play.
He remained on the Minnesota practice squad through the end of the regular season. Then, only four days before the Wild Card game against the Rams, Jones made a decision that carried with it an important consequence. He signed to the Vikings’ active roster.
In that moment, Jones forfeited what would have been a two-month head start on free agency. He could have taken his time, visited teams, and ultimately signed a contract before the feeding frenzy begins in two weeks.
The Vikings picked up an incidental benefit, too. If Jones signs with a new team, his departure will be included in the 2026 compensatory draft-pick formula.
So why did Jones limit his mobility for a Wild Card game check of only $49,500? Think back to our item from January 10.
Jones joined the active roster four days after starter Sam Darnold struggled badly in a Week 18 top-seed-versus-fifth-seed showdown against the Lions. We raised the question of whether the Vikings might turn to Jones in the divisional round: (1) if Darnold didn’t play well in the first playoff game; and (2) if the Vikings nevertheless found a way to advance.
It’s a small needle to thread. Usually in the postseason, quarterback play and team success are fused at the hip. Regardless, Jones had sufficient reason to believe the benefit of taking a possible one-and-done roster spot outweighed the cost to his search for a new team. If Jones knew he could end up playing in the playoffs, that’s a very real reason for giving up a head start on 2025.
The situation also points to the looming possibility of Jones becoming this year’s Darnold in Minnesota. Although the Vikings have yet to re-sign Jones, they believe in him. Unless someone else makes Jones a sizable offer to become the starter, the Vikings could end up keeping him.
Which would give him the chance to become the latest failed former New York first-round quarterback to make a run at being named the NFL’s comeback player of the year — even if he, like Darnold, wouldn’t fit within the AP’s belief that only quarterbacks returning from injury or illness should qualify.
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