Daniel Jones is Emergency Use Only for Vikings vs Rams

We are finally here. The 14-3 Minnesota Vikings vs 10-7 Los Angeles Rams 2024 NFC Wild Card Game is about to begin. With the game now less than one hour out, both teams recently dropped their final active/inactive report. Normally, there isn’t a lot of news in these final inactive lists.

That is unless you are the 2024 Vikings and your 3rd-4th string quarterback is a former first round draft pick named Daniel Jones. If that is the case, then fans and media are very much interested in your Wild Card round inactive list.

Because should Daniel Jones leave for another team this offseason, when he becomes a free agent, the Minnesota Vikings could get as high as a 3rd round compensation draft pick for 2026, in return. But first, the former New York Giants QB has to be on the Vikings active roster for one game. Otherwise, he does not count toward the comp pick formula. That is the rule, as we understand it.

Minnesota Vikings leave Daniel Jones off the active roster again

Thus, it was rather surprising tonight when Daniel Jones landed on the final Wild Card inactive list. Unless the Minnesota Vikings know something we do not, regarding comp picks and what qualifies a team to receive one, Jones will not factor into the Vikings’ formula this offseason, should they lose tonight and their season ends.

The #Vikings Wild Card inactives pic.twitter.com/sJEk8ErmWj

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 13, 2025

As of today, the reported belief is that an emergency game day QB is the 49th player on each roster and does not count as “active”. That’s why he is not allowed to play unless the other QBs on roster (Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens) are physically unable to do so.

Why would the Vikings leave Jones off the active roster tonight?

So (a) the Vikings know something about the formula that we do not. For example, the fine print could say that an emergency QB count for a comp pick. Technically, Jones is on the 53-man roster, but he is not active. Could it be that he only needs to be on the active 53-man roster to count, and NOT the active 48-man game day roster? If so, that’d be news to reporters who have been following the situation for weeks.

The only other possibility that could make sense is that (b) Jones and the Minnesota Vikings already know he is coming back next season. If the two sides already know he is returning, then there would be no reason to worry about what he would bring back in comp picks, if he were to leave.

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If the comp pick rules stand as we know them (Jones must be active for at least one game in order to count toward their comp pick formula this offseason) and there is any question as to whether the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft would return in 2025… then it makes absolutely zero sense no leave him off the active roster today.

So, I am going to assume the Minnesota Vikings front office is smarter than me, and they know what they are doing. Because signing Jones for a half season — then letting him walk for nothing when you could have gotten a day-two draft pick for just one game on the active roster — would be stupid.