Quarterback play sank the team’s chances, and the Vikes have looked like a competent playoff contender at no point this season. Despite reports of offering Daniel Jones the most money, and considering a short-term deal for Sam Darnold, Minnesota ultimately went with J.J. McCarthy and no real backup plan.

Multiple reports have now surfaced suggesting just how problematic the QB situation was, how it’s currently viewed, and the organization’s determination to avoid the same fate in 2026.

Minnesota Vikings failed with JJ McCarthy plan

When the Minnesota Vikings moved on from Kirk Cousins, it was to usher in a rookie quarterback. They still had quality veteran depth in Sam Darnold as a bridge. That approach worked to perfection last season.

This time around, poor messaging cost them Daniel Jones, and rolling with Sam Howell as the backup never set them up for success. Dianni Russini pushed hard for Aaron Rodgers to join the Minnesota Vikings, but she has been plugged in on the situation the entire time. The Athletic insider says things won’t be the same in 2026.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy will return to the Minnesota Vikings next season, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be the starter. The Vikings were looking for emphatic proof this season that he’s the long-term answer, and because of a series of injuries, they never got it. Over the next few months, sources say, Minnesota plans to explore established options via trade or free agency to strengthen its quarterback room.

Though Minnesota is open to bringing in veteran competition for the 22-year-old, O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have no plans to move on from the quarterback they traded up to draft less than two years ago. McCarthy’s continued development will be a central storyline for the Vikings as they enter an offseason filled with questions surrounding their aging and expensive roster.

Dianna Russini – The Athletic

Short of a blockbuster trade for someone like Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson, it stands to reason that J.J. McCarthy isn’t going anywhere. The Vikings aren’t going to cut him, and he’s young enough for Kevin O’Connell to continue developing him behind the scenes.

Even while the Vikings need to turn over parts of their roster, they’ll still enter 2026 with intentions of winning it all. It’s not clear that McCarthy is capable of leading them there at this point, and replicating the success of Darnold’s run will require a much higher floor.

Daniel Jones miss stung the MN Vikings

Part of the reason that the Minnesota Vikings are in this position is their own doing. Part of it can be tied to the fact that J.J. McCarthy is constantly injured. Whatever the main culprit is, ESPN insider Kevin Seifert gathered intel to suggest the Vikings got a bit ahead of themselves in multiple ways when assessing their QB situation.

One of the clear takeaways is that Jones’ decision to sign with the Indianapolis Colts upended the Vikings’ plan far more than previously known. There is also widespread agreement that the Vikings overestimated McCarthy’s floor as a first-year starter.

As they did with Darnold, the Vikings envisioned Jones as a starting-caliber hedge against McCarthy’s inexperience and health. Team officials sensed strong positive vibes from Jones throughout the fall and winter, and they believed he would sign their offer, which was competitive with the $14 million deal he ultimately signed with the Colts.

But the Vikings had misread Jones’ level of interest in their scheme and culture. He liked the organization and the people in it, but business was business. A league source said the Colts offered the best “fit.” In other words, Jones wanted to be on the field in 2025 and thought he had a better chance of overtaking the Colts’ young quarterback — third-year pro Anthony Richardson Sr. — than McCarthy.

ESPN

It has been previously reported that the Vikings actually offered more money than the Colts $14 million offer. The fit Seifert highlights, though, is the level of commitment to an established starter. Anthony Richardson Sr. had already established tape, but Indy wasn’t fully sold on him.

The Vikings clearly misjudged the situation by thinking McCarthy missing live practice reps in 2024 wouldn’t matter. He entered this year with a clear path to starting, and that level of investment in a rookie who didn’t pass in college much was always asking a lot.

Aaron Rodgers still may right the Vikings wrong

There was never a path for Aaron Rodgers to land in Minnesota with the amount of conviction the Vikings clearly had in McCarthy. Now seeing how wrong that has proven to be, at least right now, a one-year deal with in 2026 may be just what they need.

The future Hall of Famer was all in on joining the Vikings, and did his own courting. This time around, it will likely need to be the opposite, with Rodgers holding even more of the cards.

The Vikings then turned their deliberations to Rodgers, who was a free agent and had contacted O’Connell to express interest in signing with them. There were multiple reasons why the Vikings passed, sources said, but one of them was the front office’s internal assessment that at 41, he was no longer likely to play at a Super Bowl level. Making the playoffs with Rodgers, but not winning the Super Bowl, wasn’t an equitable trade-off for delaying McCarthy’s ascension, they concluded.

Another was the off-schedule nature of Rodgers’ playing style, at times assigning routes to receivers at the line of scrimmage by using hand signals or other means. McCarthy wouldn’t benefit from watching an offense that he would not be asked to run in future years.

ESPN

Rodgers has gone 9-6 with the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, and their playoff hopes reside in the result of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. While he is 42, he has been substantially better than McCarthy in every facet this season, and with lesser weapons than the Minnesota Vikings have, he owns a 23/7 TD/INT ratio.

Minnesota had to make a last-minute pivot to Carson Wentz as a backup plan this season. The longtime veteran is the only quarterback they’ve ran out that actually looked competent. Rather than be reactionary to what should have been right in front of them, the entire process must be flipped on its head in 2026.

The Vikings have already shown that they’re willing to pay a premium for a veteran bridge quarterback. Last offseason, they tried to retain Sam Darnold on a short term deal, and offered Daniel Jones more money to stay than Indianapolis did. Neither ended up staying, but the effort was there for the most part.

Daniel Jones could be MN Vikings answer

This season, Daniel Jones left the Minnesota Vikings convinced he could win the Colts starting job. He proved himself right, and had Indy rolling until suffering a fractured fibula. He was playing through the injury, only for a torn Achilles to end his season . Now, with his season over, his future takes a significant turn. ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks the Vikings fit may now be there.

Another is that it would make sense for him to go back to Minnesota, where he finished last season as Sam Darnold’s backup, and rehab there with a staff that knows him and wanted to retain him but couldn’t guarantee him the starting job this past offseason. Either way, the idea of a lucrative, long-term contract extension in Indianapolis (or somewhere else) probably slides to the back burner in light of Jones’ most recent season-ending injury.

Dan Graziano – ESPN

The Minnesota Vikings may need to compete with the Colts in order to land Jones if they so choose. That was the deal last time around, and J.J. McCarthy will still be present. How badly Indianapolis wants to tie their future to Jones definitely comes into the equation, even if they aren’t immediately ready to pony up on a long term deal.

The difference for Minnesota is that Jones won’t be ready to start the year, and McCarthy has already shown to be a work in progress. They don’t have to guarantee him the starting job, and can further evaluate McCarthy as the calendar turns.

Jones has made the Colts relevant again this season, and at one point they led the NFL in wins. Now 8-5, they’ll roll with Riley Leonard and the formerly retired Philip Rivers. What the Minnesota Vikings due to supplement their quarterback room next season remains to be seen, but Jones is at least now a bit more plausible.

Now at 5-8, the Vikings would need a miracle to turn this season into anything meaningful. And for fans hoping to celebrate by checking in on former Vikings around the league, Sunday didn’t offer much good news, as several familiar faces suffered major setbacks.

Daniel Jones Looks to be Done with the Indianapolis Colts

For reasons known only to the Colts, Indianapolis continued allowing Daniel Jones to play through a fractured fibula. He had parlayed his time in Minnesota into a strong season, but everything came crashing down on Sunday.

Here’s the play on which Daniel Jones was hurt: pic.twitter.com/RLJkYCAn4b

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 7, 2025

One of the dangers of playing through an injury is how the body compensates. Jones was already dealing with a fractured fibula, and on Sunday he appeared to suffer a torn achilles in the opposite leg. That was confirmed on Monday and he will undergo season-ending surgery.

It’s an incredibly unfortunate development considering how well he had been playing. Before exiting early on Sunday, Jones had led the Colts to an 8-4 record, completing 67.9% of his passes with a 19/7 TD/INT ratio.

With what is likely a year-long recovery ahead, Jones has almost certainly missed out on a multi-year contract and may even have cost himself the franchise tag. It’s a brutal outcome for both the quarterback and the Colts.

Adam Thielen Does Nothing in Steelers Debut

After being a healthy scratch for the Minnesota Vikings, Adam Thielen sought a fresh start to finish his career. The Pittsburgh Steelers claimed him, giving future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers another weapon. Despite being active just days after joining the team, Thielen was barely involved.

2018 Pro Bowler Adam Thielen with the grab for the Steelers pic.twitter.com/7XDqQNwJ2U

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 7, 2025

His usage didn’t change much from his final days in Minnesota. Thielen saw just one target from Rodgers, hauling in a four-yard reception in his Steelers debut.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s third wide receiver, Jalen Nailor, the player originally expected to fill Thielen’s role, caught all three of his targets for 30 yards on Sunday.

Cousins Embarrassed by Darnold

Last weekend, the Vikings faced former quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks but fell short as Max Brosmer struggled. This week, Darnold faced another former Viking, Kirk Cousins, and things went even worse for the Atlanta Falcons starter.

Kirk Cousins gets picked off.

Nick Emmanwori was credited with his first career interception, Falcons gonna lose another game 💀 pic.twitter.com/Jd3aDKvCT0

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) December 7, 2025

Filling in for the injured Michael Penix Jr., Cousings was expected to resemble the steady veteran who signed yet another massive contract. Instead, he was abysmal. Cousins completed just 15 of 30 passes for 162 yards, threw two interceptions, and posted an 18.4 passer rating.

Darnold, meanwhile, continues his resurgence with Seattle. Revitalized under Kevin O’Connell before departing last offseason, Darnold went 20 for 30 for 249 yards and three touchdowns. His lone interception proved meaningless in a 37-9 blowout.

Cousins has long been known for cashing checks while delivering minimal impact in the win column, and Sunday only cemented that narrative. The Falcons will have a potential out in his contract this offseason, and it’s safe to say the Vikings won’t be lining up to give him another payday.

Sam Darnold started all 17 games for the Vikings in 2024, ripping off 14 wins and leading them to the playoffs. J.J. McCarthy watched from the sideline after suffering a season-ending knee injury. And then there was Daniel Jones, who latched on late.

Then in the offseason, Sam Darnold got a nice payday out in Seattle and Daniel Jones opted for a QB competition in Indy against Anthony Richardson, over sticking in Minnesota and battling it out with McCarthy, who was handed the Vikings’ starting job.

Former MN Vikings QB Daniel Jones dealing with a fracture

So far, the results of all that QB movement has not worked out in the MN Vikings’ favor. Darnold and Jones have both played well with their new teams, while JJ McCarthy has been the worst QB in the league, when healthy.

Now this weekend, the Vikings will face Sam Darnold and his Seahawks for the first time since he left town. More than likely, Max Brosmer will be under center for the purple. Across the country, Daniel Jones will look to keep things rolling for his 8-3 Colts, but he’s doing so with a fibula fracture.

From @NFLGameDay Morning: #Colts QB Daniel Jones is trying to play through a fibula fracture, though he looked good in practice today. pic.twitter.com/tppdd15Sb8

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2025

“A situation to watch for the Indianapolis Colts, one of the NFL’s best teams this year. Sources say Daniel Jones, who has been dealing with a lower leg injury, suffered a fractured fibula. One that he is trying to play through. My understanding is he was a full participant today in practice, as he was yesterday. Also played last week. This injury actually happened when he was a limited participant, I believe it was Thursday last week. Fair to say his status is up in the air. My understanding is he looked good in practice today, but a fractured fibula is certainly an injury to keep an eye on.”

Ian Rapoport

Jones has started all 11 games for the Colts this season. He has Indianapolis owning an 8-3 record while being a perfect 6-0 at home. It’s impressive that he’s going to give it a go against the Houston Texans with a fracture.

After being a limited participant on Wednesday, Jones got in a full Thanksgiving day practice. It seems clear the Colts believe the injury is in a place where he can’t do more damage, and they trust that it will continue to heal.

Jones is completing a career-best 69.1% of his passes and has a 17/7 TD/INT ratio this season. It has been difficult to see his success knowing that the Vikings offered him more money but shied away from giving him the starting role.

There have been reports that Minnesota may zero in on Jones to start for them next season as he is on a one year deal with Indianapolis. Of course that won’t come as cheaply this time around.

Now working through the concussion protocol and unlikely to play on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, it’s the Max Brosmer show. Short of the former Minnesota Gophers quarterback playing lights out, a new direction will probably will be needed next year.

That new direction might just wind up being a chance to right the wrong of their 2025 offseason.

Daniel Jones on the Vikings radar

Last season, the Minnesota Vikings brought Daniel Jones in after he was cut loose by the New York Giants. He learned a ton, and after the year the team wanted him back. He wasn’t going to start though, and that made his decision easy. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says that Minnesota might be looking to reverse course in 2026.

A few people inside the league I’ve spoken to wonder whether Minnesota can follow the Colts’ blueprint from this past offseason, bringing in a veteran/reclamation project to compete with McCarthy and potentially start — similar to Daniel Jones vs. Anthony Richardson Sr. in Indy.

The funny thing about that scenario is Jones would be an ideal fit in Minnesota, where he backed up Sam Darnold last season. But as the top free agent quarterback, he will score a sizable deal in Indianapolis or elsewhere. Still, the Vikings really liked Jones, and their situation this offseason will be far different than the one from a year ago. Making a play for Jones would give him multiple options to consider.

Jeremy Fowler – ESPN

Rather than being 4-7, the Minnesota Vikings could have been a competitive team had they simply told Jones he was going to be the guy. In that scenario, McCarthy would have needed to beat out a veteran after spending his entire rookie season injured while getting zero reps.

It always seemed logical that Jones could thrive in an ideal environment, which is what Minnesota presented for 14-game winner Sam Darnold. Now in a good environment, Jones has the Colts owning an 8-3 record with a 69.1 completion rate and a 17/7 TD/INT.

Minnesota got cute thinking they had the perfect plan for McCarthy, while both quarterbacks they already employed were more perfect answers for them. Darnold’s payday didn’t need to be met, but Jones was definitely the right answer. Maybe they’ll fix the problem next season.

Not just Jones or bust for Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings spent a boatload of money this offseason. The intention was for the roster to win immediately. Unfortunately the problem was that McCarthy was never positioned to get them there. Fowler sees other stopgap quarterbacks capable of stopping a long term rebuild too.

Rodgers wanted to be a Viking last year and will also be a free agent, and the Vikings kept tabs on Joe Flacco’s free agency last spring, and he has been effective for multiple teams in recent years. He could be a sensible fallback plan. Arizona’s Kyler Murray could become available should the Cardinals decide to start fresh at the position, too. His chances to play again this season are seemingly becoming slimmer by the week.

Jeremy Fowler – ESPN

It’d be disappointing to see the answer be Joe Flacco, even though he’s currently unquestionably better than McCarthy despite battling Father Time. Aaron Rodgers tried to will his way into purple, and that could be a reality next year again. Kyler Murray would be among the most expensive options, but he too is a step up.

Regardless, Kevin O’Connell took a hit to his reputation this season by tying his wagon to a quarterback he couldn’t elevate. There won’t be much of an appetite to miss again.

Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, the former Michigan signal caller spent the entire second half throwing for a net-negative-one yard, to go with two interceptions. At 4-7, the Vikings’ 2025 season is unofficially in the tank.

This, after spending the second-most amount of any NFL team last offseason in free agency. And now, with six games still to play this season, winds of change are already starting to howl around insider circles across the league.

JJ McCarthy could be out for Minnesota Vikings

After the quarterback’s latest clunker, ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano is now looking for a change under center between now and the start of the 2026 NFL season. At the very least, Graziano expects the MN Vikings to bring in some stiff training camp competition for JJ, ala Daniel Jones this year in Indy.

If nothing else, the Vikings will want to bring in a veteran quarterback to add to their young QB room. Think about what the Colts did this offseason, signing Daniel Jones (who, ironically, finished last season with the Vikings) to compete with Anthony Richardson Sr. for the starting job. Jones beat out Richardson, and the Colts are a first-place team.

Dan Graziano – ESPN

McCarthy has six games left on the ledger for the Minnesota Vikings this season. That assumes he can stay healthy and on the field, which isn’t straightforward because he hasn’t shown a great ability to do so thus far. And, just today, Coach Kevin O’Connell said that McCarthy has entered the concussion protocol following yesterday’s beatdown.

At just 2-4 through his first six career games, the evaluation period becomes the only thing to measure the rest of the way. An accurate passer at Michigan, McCarthy owns a putrid 54.1% completion rate this season. He has six touchdowns and 10 interceptions while taking a whopping 20 sacks.

There is no way to sugarcoat just how bad he has been. Of course, he could improve between now and the start of 2026, but Graz believes he will have to earn it next summer.

Veteran challenger is where the Vikings went wrong

The question this offseason should have never been about Minnesota bringing back Sam Darnold. Regardless of the 14 wins, or two final losses, he was always going to be expensive. It was fine to let him explore greener pastures.

Bringing in a veteran doesn’t guarantee a similar result, and it’s possible that McCarthy could make enough advancements this offseason that he would win a competition against an outside veteran.

But unless the final six games of this season look a heck of a lot different from the first six games McCarthy has started, Minnesota is going to have to look at every potential option going into 2026. The Vikings can’t throw another season away while waiting for things to click for their 2024 first-round pick.

Dan Graziano – ESPN

However, that’s not the case with Daniel Jones. The former New York Giant chose the Vikings, and loved his time in Minnesota. The franchise offered him more money than the Indianapolis Colts, but they told him that McCarthy was their guy.

Jones wanted a chance to start, and there was never a reason to let him believe that couldn’t happen here. He went to Indianapolis and beat out Anthony Richardson. He should have been given the same assurances by the Vikings.

McCarthy got zero real practice reps last year, and had plenty of warts coming in. At best, he could have eventually taken over for Jones as was the intention with Darnold a season ago. Now the Vikings have wasted an entire season and need to make the right call in 2026.

McCarthy is the only remaining quarterback on the roster from last season, and two former Vikings veterans were in the spotlight for completely separate reasons on Sunday.

Kirk Cousins steps in for Atlanta Falcons

With Michael Penix nursing a knee injury kept him out of practice, the Atlanta Falcons turned to veteran backup Kirk Cousins. Of course there have been recent trade rumors suggesting he could return to Minnesota. Whether that makes sense or not, he didn’t do himself any favors on Sunday.

Final from Atlanta

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 26, 2025

Despite playing at home, against a 1-6 Miami Dolphins team, Kirk Cousins showed nothing short of mediocrity. The 24-point loss included Cousins going just 21-of-31 for 173 yards. He took one sack as well. Cousins averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt.

With the quarterback looking inept, Miami was able to stack the box and limit Atlanta’s running game as well. The Falcons had just 45 yards on 17 carries with lead back Bijan Robinson going for just 25.

Cousins has been called an all-time bag getter, and it’s performances like this that highlight just how much money he has generated while being entirely underwhelming. He is making more than $27 million this season to sit behind Penix.

Things may not go well with J.J. McCarthy, and the Vikings intended to win this season. Under no circumstance though, do they need to bring Cousins back.

Daniel Jones owns NFL’s best record

Last season the Vikings signed Daniel Jones after he was released by the New York Giants. He never got into game action but was elevated as Sam Darnold’s backup for a single contest. Despite a desire to sign him this offseason, Jones went to Indianapolis. Now his Colts, at 7-1, own the league’s best record.

Daniel Jones runs the "Alec down there somewhere" to perfection 🚀 pic.twitter.com/yYgfErBS7R

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 26, 2025

Jones was 21-of-29 against the Tennessee Titans for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He now has a 13/3 TD/INT ratio while completing more than 70% of his passes through eight games.

You could argue that Minnesota didn’t know what they had in Jones, but it was clear they prioritized signing him from the Giants. Jones also recently talked about just how much he learned working with Sam Darnold and Kevin O’Connell.

It’s understandable that the Vikings didn’t want to commit $100 million for Darnold with McCarthy waiting in the wings. Jones signed a one-year deal for $14 million. Minnesota was open to a short-term deal with Darnold, and that should have been the plan for Jones as well.

A one or two year deal upwards of $16 million would have given Minnesota additional flexibility for McCarthy to earn the job, and Jones clearly would have thrived in a better environment than New York. We’ll never know how that could have worked out, but the Vikings are nowhere near the playoffs while Jones is working towards a one-seed and potential MVP.

Ultimately the franchise went the way of the youngster, but they still needed to fill out the room. There was some belief that Brett Rypien would stick on the roster. Voice of the Vikings, Paul Allen, mentioned just how much the franchise loved him.

Unfortunately for Rypien though, Max Brosmer came in as an undrafted free agent and stole the show. Rypien went elsewhere, and after spending time with the Cincinnati Bengals, he now has a new home.

Brett Rypien signed by Indianapolis Colts

After Brett Rypien found out he didn’t make the Minnesota Vikings, it was time for him to find new employment. Initially that came with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now he’ll join 2024 teammate Daniel Jones with the Indianapolis Colts.

Veteran QB Brett Rypien is signing with the #Colts practice squad, per source.

With Anthony Richardson (eye) going on IR, rookie Riley Leonard will back up Daniel Jones this week.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 14, 2025

After being released by the New York Giants the Minnesota Vikings brought in Daniel Jones as a backup option. He got the opportunity to attend Kevin O’Connell’s quarterback school, and he’s still talking about how much he learned.

Jones was a target for the Vikings as an option alongside of McCarthy this offseason. Ultimately he bet on himself and signed with the Colts intending to return as a starting option. Through six games it appears he was right.

The Colts are 5-1 and Jones has completed a career-high 71.7% of his passes. He has thrown for 1,502 yards with eight touchdowns and just three interceptions.

With the Vikings blowing out former backup Jake Browning and the Bengals in Week 3, Brett Rypien found his way onto the field. Unfortunately the only stat he recorded was a sack.

It’s unlikely that Rypien finds his way under center, but he certainly gives the Colts a better veteran backup option than rookie Riley Leonard. The Notre Dame product was a sixth round pick in April, but has yet to appear in a game.

Indianapolis found themselves in need of a quarterback after Anthony Richardson broke an orbital bone in his face. He was injured doing pregame band work on Sunday.

In 2024, not only did KOC’s Vikings rip off 14 wins with veteran castoff turned MVP candidate Sam Darnold under center, but O’Connell, OC Wes Phillips and QB coach Josh McCown (among others) seem to have fixed the former 1st round bust for good.

#Seahawks Sam Darnold is very smart:

H/T: Brian Baldinger

[🎥: NFL]pic.twitter.com/pYeizwuT7b

— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) October 8, 2025

This offseason, Darnold spread his wings and flew West to Seattle, where he’s become Test Example No. 1 that KOC’s QB School is legit. Going into week 6, Sam Darnold has thrown for the 7th most passing yards (1,246) and touchdowns (9) in the NFL. He also ranks 3rd in completion % (73.1) and 1st in yards per pass attempt (9.3).

Oh, and the Red Rocket has thrown just 3 interceptions on the season, too. But believe it or not, Sam Darnold has some competition as Kevin O’Connell’s star pupil. Because another former top 10 draft pick who came through TCO Performance Center last season has been nearly just as good.

Daniel Jones found the QB key in Minnesota

Across five games this season as Indianapolis Colts QB1, Daniel Jones owns a 4-1 record while completing a career-best 71.3% of his passes, nearly identical to Darnold’s, while racking 1,290 passing yards (slightly more than his fellow 2024 QB school graduate), along with 6 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions.

The only thing keeping him behind his fellow 2024 QB school graduate, are touchdowns, of which he has thrown “just” six (vs 2 interceptions). So what is it that Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings do different that is changing the way these quarterbacks play, even after they leave the building?

Well Daniel Jones sat down on the “Fitz & Whit” Podcast recently, where he spilled the beans on just that, revealing how much he learned about how to properly prepare as an NFL quarterback, and the attention to detail it takes to be consistently successful at the hardest position in all of sports.

Daniel Jones on @fitzandwhit references play calling and says the preparation of the QB room in Minnesota was “next level” compared to NY pic.twitter.com/A10GUdeHQw

— NYGcrush🍎 (@NYGcrush) October 8, 2025

“I always thought I worked really hard, I tried to work really hard. It was important to me to prepare, watch film, study. I think I did that, but then going to Minnesota I saw how Sam [Darnold] prepared. How Kevin [O’Connell] prepared those guys, Josh McCown, Grant Udinski, that crew, and how detailed they were day in and day out. Every little bit of the plan, and how they’re going to study. What they’re looking for, walking through it, quizzing each other in the quarterback room. That made a big impression on me. I was like, this is maybe the next level of some of that stuff. I think Kevin, just how aggressive he was in the playcalling…That made an impression on me too.”

Daniel Jones – Fitz and Whit

Jones’ offseason decision to join/leave Minnesota Vikings paying off

This offseason the MN Vikings made a play to retain Daniel Jones and, to a lesser degree, Sam Darnold. Ultimately, he chose to sign with the Indianapolis Colts, where he would have a better chance of winning the starting job against Anthony Richardson, then he would have in Minnesota vs JJ McCarthy.

His play worked perfectly, after he was named the starter over Richardson late in the preseason. Still, it’s the QB work he saw while working under Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings offensive coaching staff in 2024 that gave him the opportunity to be the QB he has been through a quarter of the season with the Colts.

Daniel Jones
Indianapolis Colts

Every throw of 10+ air yards through two weeks https://t.co/T8c2Tm6nbK pic.twitter.com/53A9WOhUcc

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 20, 2025

It’s beyond evident that Daniel Jones credits plenty of his growth, as a quarterback, to the time he spent in Minnesota. What’s may be the more eye-opening talker of this interview is Jones saying the quiet part out loud, despite his being on another roster in 2025; and especially because he was only here for a few months.

Remember, Jones never actually played in a game for the Vikings, and he was active only once. His success this season, combined with his public praise above, tells us all we need to know about how good of hands this organization is in, going forward.

Daniel Jones is on a one-year deal worth $14 million this year with the Indianapolis Colts. If he continues to perform the way he has, he’ll be getting a heck of a lot more than that after the 2024 season.

No doubt it caught the attention of one team, the Minnesota Vikings, who suddenly specialize in coaching and rehabilitating NFL quarterbacks lucky enough to come through TCO Performance Center and attend head coach Kevin O’Connell’s QB school, which seemingly rolls out new success stories with every NFL season that passes by.

Find someone that looks at you the same way Kevin O’Connell looks at his team and QB 🥹 pic.twitter.com/zYRPJrMGgD

— Matt Anderson (@MattAnderson_8) December 30, 2024

Once the Giants officially released Jones, the Vikings swooped in. They couldn’t offer more money than other teams, but they could offer the unique skill set of their head coach and his QB friendly staff.

After some thought, Jones signed with the MN Vikings practice squad on November 27, where he stayed for the remainder of the regular season, never once touching the active roster, until January 7, when he was finally elevated AFTER their last game against Detroit.

Daniel Jones’ short stint with Vikings brings additional benefits

That was an important move for Minnesota to make, since his activation to the 53-man made him eligible toward the Vikings’ 2026 comp pick formula as soon as he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency this offseason.

The NFL comp pick formula is complicated, but according to OverTheCap.com, the Vikings were projected to receive a 5th round comp pick pretty much the moment he signed on the dotted line in Indy. That number has now changed, however

Over the course of Colts training camp, steam had been building recently behind Daniel Jones as the QB1 in Indianapolis, especially after head coach Shane Steichen spoke with reporters following the Colts’ last preseason game.

Then on Tuesday morning, Jones was officially named the Colts starting quarterback, over former No. 4 overall draft pick, Anthony Richardson, news that was first reported by Adam Schefter (ESPN).

A QB decision in Indy: Colts named Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback for their Sept. 7 regular-season opener vs. the Miami Dolphins, per @HolderStephen and me. pic.twitter.com/7PfrSu1m9I

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2025

Related: Vikings’ Free Agent WR Options May Be Dwindling

There was a time, between Daniel Jones signing with the Vikings and eventually moving onto Indianapolis, where the temporary KOC QB school pupil looked like the favorite to challenge JJ McCarthy in camp, before eventually accepting his place as a reliable QB2 before the regular season.

Jones saw that writing on the wall, in his short time working at TCO Performance Center, which played a large role in why he chose to take similar money for a camp competition with Anthony Richardson, instead.

Colts QB1 news likely to benefit Minnesota Vikings comp pick formula

Not only did the Colts’ QB1 announcement mark the second success story of Kevin O’Connell’s 2024 QB School graduation class — after Sam Darnold signed a $33.5 million per year contract to be Seattle’s starting quarterback over the offseason — but it also set the Minnesota Vikings up for a comp pick upgrade during the 2026 NFL Draft.

According to comp pick formula expert, Jones’ status as a starter means that 5th round comp pick is now more likely to be a 4th round comp pick, assuming the 28-year-old with 69 NFL starts under his belt can stay healthy and hold the job through most of the season.

This is good news for the Vikings so far. If Daniel Jones plays enough snaps this season, they are more likely to get a 4th rounder instead of a 5th rounder in a compensatory pick for Daniel Jones going to Indy.https://t.co/K8xYD1BELR

— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) August 19, 2025

Related: MN Vikings Quietly Dealing with Injury to Key Starter

If the formula plays out as expected (per OTC), Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be awarded 3rd (Darnold), 4th (Jones) and 5th (Cam Robinson) round comp picks for the 2026 NFL Draft. And that’s AFTER the formula works itself out.

Other departures from the 2025 offseason (Pat Jones, Trent Sherfield, Cam Bynum) also count toward the comp pick formula. Those exits, however, are cancelled out by some of the MN Vikings’ own offseason signings (Will Ries, Ryan Kelly, Isaiah Rodgers).

Daniel Jones isn’t playing for the money anymore…

During his NFL career, Daniel Jones has thrown for 14,582 yards, 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. After showing promise early in his career, the former Duke standout steadily declined under the bright lights of the Big Apple.

Still, one impressive playoff performance in 2022 against the Minnesota Vikings landed him a huge $40 million per year contract extension. In total, Jones made $108 million with the Giants, who paid the remainder of his guaranteed money in order to push him out the door.

Even though he never played a snap for the Vikings, and did not stay to backup JJ McCarthy, his signing could go down as one of the sneaky best deals in franchise history, especially if he lands them a day two comp pick, by the time the dust settles.