After his half-season with the team in 2024, the Minnesota Vikings attempted to keep quarterback Daniel Jones around to serve as a backup to J.J. McCarthy (and possible starter, I guess). Jones decided that he wanted what he perceived as a better chance to start, so he went to the Indianapolis Colts for less money than what the Vikings were offering him.
Well, if starting was his main goal, it appears that he made the right move, and it might wind up being helpful to the Vikings as well.
According
to Adam Schefter of ESPN, among others, the Colts have named Jones as their starting quarterback for their opener against Miami on 7 September. He beat out former Top 5 overall pick Anthony Richardson for the starting job because. . .well, because Richardson just really isn’t very good.
Jones was released by the New York Giants midway through last season and signed with the Vikings’ practice squad. The team elevated him to the 53-man roster towards the end of the season, and though he never took a snap for the Vikings, his elevation assured the team that they could potentially receive a compensatory pick for him if he were to sign with another team.
The amount Jones signed for with the Colts means that the Vikings will receive some sort of compensatory pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for him, but how high a compensatory pick could depend on how much playing time Jones gets. Nick Korte of Over the Cap, who is pretty much the master of comp pick projections, originally thought that the Vikings would get a fifth-round pick for Jones but later upgraded that to a fourth-round pick. That pick would be in addition to the third-round pick the team will likely receive for Sam Darnold signing with the Seattle Seahawks.
Korte now also has the Vikings receiving a fifth-round pick for the loss of offensive lineman Cam Robinson, who the Vikings traded for after the injury to Christian Darrisaw last season and wound up signing with the Houston Texans.
Congratulations to Daniel Jones on continuing his comeback by claiming the starting job in Indianapolis. Since the Vikings don’t play the Colts this year, here’s hoping he has a fantastic season and gets enough playing time to make the compensation the Vikings get for letting him walk as lucrative as possible.
