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This season has gone off the rails for the Minnesota Vikings. They are 5-8 with a roster that was constructed to win now, and the main reason the poor performance has been the play of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He’s not going anywhere before next year, but you can bet Kevin O’Connell will want another option in the QB room at a minimum.
The Vikings have already shown that they’re willing to pay a premium for a veteran bridge quarterback. Last offseason, they tried to retain Sam Darnold on a short term deal, and offered Daniel Jones more money to stay than Indianapolis did. Neither ended up staying, but the effort was there for the most part.
Daniel Jones could be MN Vikings answer
This season, Daniel Jones left the Minnesota Vikings convinced he could win the Colts starting job. He proved himself right, and had Indy rolling until suffering a fractured fibula. He was playing through the injury, only for a torn Achilles to end his season . Now, with his season over, his future takes a significant turn. ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks the Vikings fit may now be there.
Another is that it would make sense for him to go back to Minnesota, where he finished last season as Sam Darnold’s backup, and rehab there with a staff that knows him and wanted to retain him but couldn’t guarantee him the starting job this past offseason. Either way, the idea of a lucrative, long-term contract extension in Indianapolis (or somewhere else) probably slides to the back burner in light of Jones’ most recent season-ending injury.
The Minnesota Vikings may need to compete with the Colts in order to land Jones if they so choose. That was the deal last time around, and J.J. McCarthy will still be present. How badly Indianapolis wants to tie their future to Jones definitely comes into the equation, even if they aren’t immediately ready to pony up on a long term deal.
The difference for Minnesota is that Jones won’t be ready to start the year, and McCarthy has already shown to be a work in progress. They don’t have to guarantee him the starting job, and can further evaluate McCarthy as the calendar turns.
Jones has made the Colts relevant again this season, and at one point they led the NFL in wins. Now 8-5, they’ll roll with Riley Leonard and the formerly retired Philip Rivers. What the Minnesota Vikings due to supplement their quarterback room next season remains to be seen, but Jones is at least now a bit more plausible.
Mentioned in this article: Daniel Jones
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