Daniel Jones signs with Vikings after Giants release

Daniel Jones has a new home.

The now-former Giants quarterback signs with the Vikings less than a week after earning his release from Big Blue after a rollercoaster five-and-a-half season.

He will at least start on Minnesota’s practice squad with Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens atop the team’s depth chart, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday.

Veteran Brett Rypien was the team’s third-string quarterback.

The 27-year-old Jones was free to sign with a new team on Monday, having cleared waivers at 16 A.M.

It’s been a wild week for Jones, who was initially benched by the Giants last Monday after a dismal 2-8 start. Fan favorite Tommy DeVito was then named the starter.

With the Giants also adding Tim Boyle to the practice squad, Jones was demoted to fourth-string quarterback and requested his release Friday.

“The opportunity to play for the Giants was truly a dream come true,” Jones said Thursday in a prepared statement.

“… There have been some great times, but of course we all wish there had been more of them.

“I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more victories. Nobody wanted to win those games more than me. I gave everything I had.”

The sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jones went 22-44-1 as a starter and led the Giants to a surprise playoff appearance in 2022.

He was awarded a four-year, $160 million contract extension in the 2023 offseason.

The Giants still owe most of the $11.83 million left on Jones’ contract because he went through waivers.

They will receive about $437,500 in savings because Jones’ contract had offset language that means his new team owes him the prorated seven-week amount of a year’s minimum salary for his experience ($1.125 million).

If Jones is injured while playing, however, the Giants won’t be on the hook for the $23 million guaranteed in his 2025 contract.

The fear of activating that clause—and raising the cost of cutting Jones after the season from a dead salary cap of $22.2 million to $45.2 million—is why Jones came off the bench for his play (3-13 in his most recent 16 starts) for non-practising fourth strings.

Jones reportedly drew interest from non-playoff contending teams where he might have seen the field before, but it was a smart risk not to take before free agency.

Struggling in another situation around a bad roster where he learns the offense on the fly could have lowered his value.

Earlier this week, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said he expected there to be “a ton of interest around the league” for Jones.

“I would say tons of respect for Daniel Jones as a player and a person,” O’Connell said. “I’ve been a fan of Daniels for a long time and I hope that wherever his next stop takes him, it’s a good opportunity for him.”

The Vikings, guided by former Jets quarterback Darnold, enter Week 13 at 9.-2.

The Giants looked even more lost without Jones when they didn’t show Sunday in a 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers.

DeVito went 21-for-31 for 189 yards and zero touchdowns. He was also sacked four times.

Jones’ former teammates, including rookie receiver Malik Nabers, called the team’s effort “soft as fk.”