Former New York Giants and current Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daniel Jones has made another move since parting ways with the Giants. Jones and the Giants officially “broke up” on Friday, November 22. He requested to be released from the Giants after being benched, per team owner John Mara.
Now, Jones has taken the next step in his role with his new team.
Daniel Jones and the Vikings Go One Step Further
The Vikings have signed Jones onto their active roster from their practice squad and placed quarterback Brett Rypien on waivers, according to an announcement from the team. Now that Jones is on the team’s active roster, he can have a role as the Vikings’ backup or third-string quarterback when the Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, January 13, in the Wild Card Round of the NFC Playoffs. Jones “will be factored into the NFL’s compensatory pick formula evaluation should he sign elsewhere after free agency opens in March,” per the Vikings.
As a result of being signed to the active roster, Jones is now not able to sign with another team during the playoffs and will have the opportunity to play against the Rams. On top of that, the Vikings are now also eligible to get a compensatory draft pick if Jones signs with any other team during 2025 free agency, according to the NFL rules.
Daniel Jones’ Chance of Playing the Rams
So, could Jones actually get some playing time in the Rams game? It’s possible. As NFL analyst and expert Cody Benjamin notes in a January 7 feature for CBS Sports, “Nick Mullens is technically the Vikings’ No. 2 quarterback, but the 27-year-old Jones offers more experience, starting 69 games over nearly six seasons in New York.”
Benjamin adds that Jones “also has a playoff game under his belt, notably upsetting the Vikings as the Giants’ starter in the wild-card round of the 2022 postseason.” Jones’ “performance in that game led almost directly to a lucrative contract extension with New York the following offseason.”
Sam Kirk of Big Blue View makes the observation, in a January 7 article, that, “If Jones were to help the Vikings win playoff games, that would be a bitter pill for Giants fans to swallow.” What would make it so tough? Kirk goes so far as to say that those “optics would be humiliating for the Giants, who benched and then released him after they sank to 2-8 and en route to a 3-14 season.”
He adds that Minnesota’s “move serves as a masterclass in organizational competence” because of how they signed Jones to their practice squad and were able to pay “him a fraction of his former salary” and then activated “him strategically.”
“Minnesota has turned a failed franchise quarterback into a potential future draft pick,” he adds.
The Giants made Jones their sixth overall pick in 2019 and inked him to a four-year, $160 million deal in 2023. He started in 69 regular-season games and clocked 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions while with the Giants. The New York Giants were 24-44-1 in his starts.
So, for Giants fans who still have a soft spot for Jones, it might not be the worst idea to tune into the game on Monday and feel some of that Jones nostalgia.
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