Daniel Jones has found his new team.
The former New York Giants quarterback is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, according to NFL Network. The move came shortly after Jones requested his release from the Giants after losing his starting job earlier this month. According to ESPN, the Vikings will pay him $375,000 for the rest of the season while the Giants will pay him $11.8 million.
Jones will reportedly sign with Minnesota’s practice squad, which would give him the opportunity to work with a non-Giants NFL coaching staff for the very first time in his career. And considering starting QB Sam Darnold’s impressive turnaround with the Vikings this season, there may not be a better place for a struggling quarterback to land.
Jones got his start in the league with the Giants, who selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 out of Duke as the eventual replacement for Eli Manning. While he was the team’s starter consistently over the past six seasons, he struggled to find much success — especially recently, which was only made worse after the team signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract in March 2023. That led to the departure of running back Saquon Barkley, who is now in the midst of a career season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After a very solid campaign in 2022 — when he led the team to a 9-7-1 record and to the playoffs — his play has largely gone downhill ever since. Jones threw for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He led the Giants to five straight losses before the team finally opted to bench him in favor of third string quarterback Tommy DeVito ahead of their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.
That dropped Jones to the team’s third string quarterback, behind backup Drew Lock, and sent him to the scout team. He read a long statement that sounded like a goodbye to the organization days later, and then he asked to be released on Friday. The team quickly granted that request.
Jones went 22-44-1 over six seasons as a Giants starter, and he had just a single winning season with the team.
“There have been some great times, but of course we all wish there had been more of those,” Jones said in a statement before his release. “I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more wins. No one wanted to win more games worse than me and I gave everything I had on the field and in my preparation.”
Landing with the Vikings could lead to something bigger for Jones if he’s able to learn and grow. Darnold’s contract with the Vikings is only for one year, which means the only QB they have signed for 2025 is J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick who is recovering from a torn meniscus. If Jones impresses the coaches, it’s possible he could play himself into a job in Minnesota. And if he impresses other NFL teams, he could be high on the list of replacements if another starting QB misses time this season.
It’s unclear what will happen with Jones after this season, or if he will be able to work his way back into a starting role in the league. But with the way his career was going with the Giants, who have some very clear issues of their own to work through that go beyond struggles at quarterback, a departure from the franchise felt inevitable.
Now Jones gets a chance to restart somewhere else.
