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The Minnesota Vikings need a QB this offseason to challenge J.J. McCarthy for the starting job. While Minnesota would probably like to continue with the young signal-caller’s development, head coach Kevin O’Connell cannot afford to go another season without the playoffs.
Moreover, competition would serve McCarthy well rather than handing him the job and having another repeat of the 2025 NFL season. One player who was in the building for the Vikings in 2024 was Daniel Jones.
The veteran left to join the Indianapolis Colts and had an impressive 2025 season, but it was cut short after tearing his Achilles tendon. Jones will be a free agent in a few weeks, and it’s highly likely he returns to the Colts, but stranger things can happen once players can hit the open market.
Additionally, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson believes that if the Colts don’t retain Jones, the next best place for the veteran is a reunion in Minnesota, but there are reasons it won’t happen.
“I think Kevin O’Connell would love the opportunity to have someone like Daniel Jones,” Wilson said during a Feb. 19 appearance on CBS Sports HQ. “The concern is how this is going to affect J.J. McCarthy now in Year 3. J.J. has battled injuries and had to sit and watch Sam Darnold as a rookie, which was certainly tumultuous. If in Year 3 you’re not relying on J.J. McCarthy, what does that say?
“Sometimes you have to take the medicine and realize that maybe J.J. isn’t going to be the guy. That’s the conversation the Vikings have to figure out. So I think it makes sense. I don’t think it happens because of salary cap concerns and because, with J.J. going into Year 3, maybe this is the last best chance for him to prove himself.
Minnesota Receives Backing for Colts’ Daniel Jones
CBS Sports’ Emory Hunt also believes Minnesota is the ideal landing spot if Jones and the Colts can’t reach a contract agreement. However, Hunt notes that signing Jones comes with a risk, considering his injury from last season.
“Outside of Indy, this is the only spot where it makes sense because he already has that familiarity,” Hunt said on the same Feb. 19 appearance. “… And this particular spot, Minnesota, makes a lot of sense because of already having worked with Kevin O’Connell and already knowing the system. J.J. McCarthy is still young enough that he can work through some things.
“If you have to go to Daniel Jones, you also have that luxury of saying, ‘Okay, this guy knows the system.’ Plus, we have to remember he’s coming off an injury, and we don’t know how he’s going to return from an Achilles injury. So he may not be ready to go from day one and may have to just take what he can get.”
Vikings Insider Shares Major Take on Kyler Murray
Meanwhile, Jones isn’t the only QB linked to the Vikings in the speculation mill. Kyler Murray is another name that Minnesota could target if the Arizona Cardinals cut ties.
On the Feb. 16 edition of The Alec Lewis Show, Vikings beat reporter for The Athletic, Alec Lewis, shared his take on the speculation. He noted that any move to Minnesota could depend on what Murray is looking for financially.
“Some of [the contract talk] can become moot if Kyler Murray is eventually cut,” Lewis said. “If the Arizona Cardinals can’t find a trade partner and get to a point where it’s like they just have to make this move right now. If they did that, they could make it a post-June cut. It would be a massive dead cap hit that they are undertaking, but that would then leave Kyler Murray on the market, and it becomes a choice for him.
“Does he want a long-term deal with financial security that a place like [the New York Jets], which has $70 million in cap space, could be willing to provide? Or would he be willing to take the Daniel Jones-type option, where you’re taking a one-year, rental prove-it deal in a really good situation that could set you up for the future?”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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