Daniel Jones will reportedly sign with the Vikings following his release from the Giants

On By Littum

Daniel Jones requested his release from the Giants after losing his starting job to Tommy DeVito earlier this month.

Daniel Jones requested his release from the Giants after losing his starting job to Tommy DeVito earlier this month. (Sven Hoppe/image alliance via Getty Images)

Daniel Jones has found his new team.

The former New York Giants quarterback is expected to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, according to the NFL Network. The move came shortly after Jones requested his release from the Giants after losing his starting job earlier this month. According to ESPN, The Vikings will pay him $375,000 for the rest of the season, while the Giants will pay him $11.8 million.

Jones will reportedly sign with Minnesota’s practice squad, which would give him the opportunity to work with a non-Giants NFL coaching staff for the very first time in his career. And considering starting QB Sam Darnold’s impressive turnaround with the Vikings this season, there might not be a better place for a struggling quarterback to land.

Jones got his start in the league with the Giants, who selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 out of Duke as the eventual replacement for Eli Manning. While he was consistently the team’s starter over the last six seasons, he struggled to find much success — especially recently, which only got worse after the team signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract in March 2023. That led to departure of running back Saquon Barkley, who is now in the midst of a career season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

After a very solid campaign in 2022 — when he led the team to a 9-7-1 record and to the playoffs — his play has pretty much gone downhill ever since. Jones threw for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He led the Giants to five straight losses before the team finally benched him in favor of third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito prior to their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

That dropped Jones to the team’s third-string quarterback, behind backup Drew Lock, and sent him to the scout team. He read a long statement that sounded like a farewell to the organization days later, and then asked to be released on Friday. The team quickly accommodated this request.

Jones went 22-44-1 over six seasons as the Giants starter, and he had just one winning season with the team.

“There have been some great times, but of course we all wish there had been more of them,” Jones said in a statement before his release. “I take full responsibility for my part in not bringing more victories. No one wanted to win more matches more than me and I gave everything I had on the court and in my preparation.”

Landing with the Vikings could lead to something bigger for Jones if he is able to learn and grow. Darnold’s contract with the Vikings is only for one year, meaning the only QB they have signed through 2025 is JJ McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick, who is recovering from a torn meniscus. If Jones impresses the coaches, it’s possible he could play himself into a job in Minnesota. And if he impresses other NFL teams, he could be high on the list of replacements if another starting QB misses time this season.

It is unclear what will happen to Jones after this season or if he will be able to work his way back into a starting role in the league. But with the way his career went with the Giants, who have some very clear issues of their own to work through that go beyond struggles at quarterback, a departure from the franchise felt inevitable.

Now Jones gets a chance to start over somewhere else.