The Vikings had a first-hand experience of what Daniel Jones was capable of. The QB picked apart the Vikings’ defense in the 2022 playoff game. So, when he was signed by Kevin O’Connell mid-season after departing the Giants, it made sense. They also had an uncertain QB situation in the offseason with rookie  J.J. McCarthy undergoing a meniscus surgery thus making him unavailable for the new campaign. An inconsistent Sam Darnold was made QB1 and they had Nick Mullens as backup. Getting Jones was a no-brainer. However, there could be more behind the Vikings’ intentions behind making the move for Jones.

Jones was signed to Minnesota’s practice squad days after leaving the Giants, where he was benched in favor of Tommy DeVito. He remained out of the active roster until last week. Jones was made part of the 53-man roster with the team waiving QB Brett Rypien. This raised hopes of Jones possibly playing a role in the Wild Card showdown against the Rams. However, just before the game on Monday, the Vikings made a surprise call.

Their list of inactives before the Rams game featured Jones, meaning he wouldn’t be able to come on at the State Farm Stadium. Jones eventually watched from the sidelines as the Rams battered the Vikings 27-9 to advance to the divisional round. This meant that his tenure in Minnesota ended without playing even once, raising the question of why they signed him in the first place.

Per NY reporter for USA Today, Art Stapleton, the Vikes’ motivation to sign him was related to the compensatory pick formula. For the unversed, the teams get compensatory draft picks if they lose more players in free agency than they sign.

Replying to the Vikings’ tweet before the postseason game about their inactive players, she wrote, “Daniel Jones inactive, reinforcing the idea that Vikings’ motivation to sign him to the active roster was mostly related to the compensatory pick formula at this point.” Jones is set to be a free agent at the end of this season and if he signs with another NFL team, the Vikings could get a 3rd round draft compensation draft pick in 2026.

“Teams are awarded compensatory draft picks between Rounds 3 and 7 of the draft based upon a league formula that takes into account a player’s average salary per year (APY), snap count, and postseason awards,” the league’s rules state. It seems the Vikings have strategically made the move to allow them to net a compensatory draft pick if he ends up signing somewhere else. But did Kevin O’Connell miss a trick by not keeping Jones on the team?

Against the Rams, QB 1 Sam Darnold was sacked six times in the first half. He completed 13-of-16 passing for 113 yards but that doesn’t tell you the whole story. He threw an interception and fumbled the ball, which was returned for a touchdown and a 17-3 lead for the Rams, who dominated proceedings.

Keeping someone, who has six years of experience at the top level, inactive for such a crucial game is surprising. Moreover, it does little to help Jones’ free agency prospects since he got no chance to showcase his capabilities for the Vikings.

For the Giants this season, he rushed 67 times for 265 yards and two scores before being let go. Despite, the challenging season for the QB, it is not all doom and gloom for him.

Daniel Jones set to rake in millions in 2024 despite challenges

The Giants signed a 4-year $160 million contract with the quarterback. But he only played till week 11 in 2024. Additionally, they will pay him around $14 million for the remaining season. The issue is about the dead cap. They have a huge $22.2 million cap from Jones’ contract.

Even after signing with the Vikings, Jones could earn roughly $500,000. Being in the NFL for more than 4 years, his minimum salary is $1.125 million. But the Vikes will pay a prorated amount of that amount as he signed with them after week 12. So it’s a win-win situation for them. Overall, Daniel Jones will also be happy money-wise after raking in millions.

However, everyone is eagerly waiting for the offseason to find out what the future holds. He needs to find a team where he could stay for years and make some history. It would be intense.