Kevin O’Connell comments on Daniel Jones rumors involving the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings were connected to former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter over the weekend, but head coach Kevin O’Connell stopped just short of saying that the Vikings were officially interested in bringing him to Minnesota.

Speaking to reporters during his Monday press conference, O’Connell did not confirm whether the Vikings were in talks to sign Jones, who was waived by the Giants on Saturday. He did heap praise on the 27-year-old, however, and gave a smirk toward ESPN’s Kevin Seifert when addressing his availability.

“I’m not going to really get into that today, but I will say I have tons of respect for Daniel Jones as a player and a person. I got to know him through the draft process [in 2019], and I’m sure now that he’s a free agent, there’s probably a ton of leaguewide interest in him.”

Will the Minnesota Vikings end up signing former New York Giants QB Daniel Jones?

The drumbeat leading Jones to Minnesota began when KSTP’s Darren Wolfson said the Vikings could be interested in signing Jones as a potential backup to J.J. McCarthy in 2025.

That timetable was accelerated when Jones was granted his release from the Giants last Friday, and Schefter reported on Sunday morning that Jones was looking to sign with a contender for the remainder of the 2024 season listing the Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens as the most likely destinations.

Signing with the Vikings could also make sense for Jones. The sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Jones had a promising rookie season, throwing for 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions but struggled when head coach Pat Shurmur was replaced by Joe Judge.

Brian Daboll curbed Jones’ poor decision-making by helping him throw for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 2022, and Jones helped the Giants upset the Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs that year.

But things went south when Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension the following spring. Jones has posted a 3-13 record since signing that contract and tore his ACL in November 2023. In 10 games this season, Jones has thrown for 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, leading New York to turn to Tommy DiVito last week.

In a perfect world, Jones could backup Darnold at the end of this season and potentially hit the market like Baker Mayfield did under Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams at the end of the 2022 season before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Or Jones can audition to be the Vikings backup in 2025, spend a full year under O’Connell, and look to cash in like Sam Darnold will next season after reviving his career in Minnesota.

Everything seems to make sense for Jones to land in Minnesota even if O’Connell wasn’t willing to admit it during Monday’s press conference.

“Daniel is going to make the decision that’s best for his career moving forward, and I’m sure he’s working through that process right now. But I can’t really get too much about… any short-term or long-term. I can just say I’ve been a fan of Daniel’s for a long time and hope wherever his next step takes him, it’s a good opportunity for him.”

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