Vikings are considering Daniel Jones as backup QB in the playoffs

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  • Kevin Seifert, ESPN staff writerJanuary 9, 2025, 2:53 PM ET

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      Kevin Seifert is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL on ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Washington Times. He graduated from the University of Virginia. You can follow him on Twitter @SeifertESPN.

EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are considering a significant shakeup of their quarterback depth chart, one that would put rookie Daniel Jones in position to play if starter Sam Darnold is injured or ineffective in the playoffs.

The Vikings signed Jones this week to their 53-man roster, joining Darnold and the No. 2 quarterback Nick Mullens after a six-week stint on the team’s practice squad.

Mullens was Darnold’s backup throughout the regular season. Darnold started all 17 games, but Mullens appeared in relief four times.

Speaking to local reporters Thursday, coach Kevin O’Connell twice declined to say whether Mullens or Jones would be Darnold’s backup Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC’s wild-card round.

“(Jones) has definitely made progress,” O’Connell said. “He’s gotten a lot of really good work in both running scout teams and then just extra work here and there when he can with (quarterbacks coach Josh McCown) and Nick and Brett (Rypien) as well. … The best way I can say we’re doing everything we can to get Sam ready to go, but at the same time, whether it’s Nick or Daniel or Brett, all those guys absorb the game plan as always. It’s so fluid here the rest of the way we will do anything we believe gives us the best chance to win.

Asked if that meant Jones could be the No. 2 quarterback Monday night, O’Connell said the Vikings would “do whatever it takes to give us the best chance to win here the rest of the way.”

The timing of the potential shift is notable. Darnold struggled through his worst game of the season last Sunday night in Detroit, missing at least three receivers open for touchdowns and compiling a 34.5% off-target rate, the second-worst of his career, in a 31-9 loss to Lions.

Jones opened the season with the New York Giants, where he had spent his entire career before being benched after 10 games this season and demoted to the third team to avoid an injury that could guarantee future years of his contract.

In response, Jones asked the Giants to waive him, and they complied on November 23. He signed four days later with the Vikings, hoping to reset his career before entering free agency this spring.

The addition of Jones gave the Vikings a head start on evaluating him if Darnold leaves via free agency, and they needed a veteran to pair with quarterback JJ McCarthy, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft. If nothing else, having Jones on the 53-man roster for at least one week will ensure he’ll be part of the Vikings’ compensatory draft pick formula if he signs elsewhere.